A Hopeful Future
by fjclay823
Summary: As the winter council meeting comes to a close, Athena spills Poseidon's secret. That he fathered a new hero. As soon as Percy is about to be killed, three demigods appear, stopping Zeus's wrath, with a letter and a chest of books to change the future. All rights go to Rick Riordan. Flames welcome.
1. The Council

The Olympian Council

The year 1998

10 years before Percy Jackson arrived at Camp Half-blood.

As the winter council began Poseidon new he was in for a rough night. Just an hour before the meeting ended Athena had called for everyone's attention.

"Lord Zeus, I believe I have found out some interesting news concerning Poseidon," Athena said smiling evilly.

"What new's would that be Athena," Poseidon asked nervously. The only new he had was Percy, his son, but he couldn't say that out loud for fear of Percy being blasted due to Poseidon breaking the sacred oath he and his brothers took to no longer have kids.

"Well barnacle- beard I have discovered your secret."

"What secret? What are you hiding from me Poseidon?" Zeus asked suspiciously.

"I'm not sure what she is talking about brother," He replied hoping that there was a way out of this situation.

"Really brother, are you sure about that?" Hades replied from his makeshift throne.

"Why don't we ask Sally Jackson then Poseidon, you know her don't you? I mean she is the mother of your latest demigod child." Athena smirked triumphantly. A moment of deafening silence, then…

"BROTHER, YOU HAVE BROKEN OUR OATH. YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT," Zeus and Hades both yelled outraged.

A flash of defiance lit in Poseidon's eyes daring them to touch him as he said, "What's done is done you can't stop my son from growing up Brothers nor can you curse me!"

"Watch me," Zeus said pointing his master bolt in the center of the room, a flash of bright light, and Percy was there a little child of only 2 years old playing with his toy. "He will perish here and now to ensure our safety. Hades hold Poseidon back."

Hades grabbed Poseidon as he ran to the child trying to protect him.

"Father isn't that a bit too much to kill this child, he might be a boy but killing him won't stop the prophecy," Artemis said trying to stop the murder of this innocent child.

"Leave the child be dear husband, he has done nothing to you to deserve this fate," Hera said. But Zeus wouldn't hear any opposition to his decision. He raised his bolt taking careful aim at Percy.

"Please brother don't kill him, I'm begging you, please," Poseidon begged. He couldn't bear to see his son die for nothing and he couldn't stop it.

Zeus glared and replied, "this is your own fault Poseidon live with it." Zeus then fired the strongest shot he could take from his master bolt and watched as the bolt shot towards a now crying and scared son of Poseidon. There was a bright light and an explosion as it hit the helpless child. With a wail of "NOOOOOOOOO" Poseidon dropped to his knees in despair.

As the light died down all the gods and goddesses gasped loudly. Not believing their eyes but not able to ignore the fact that as the smoke cleared away the 4 year old son of Poseidon was still sitting the holding his toy tightly, tears running silently down his face. But what was more shocking was the group of what appeared to be 3 teenagers standing there with weapons drawn. The one in the middle held a shield up. They realized that these three teens had stopped a shot from Zeus's own master bolt, a feat only typhoon could manage.

"Owww, that hurt," the boy with the shield said.

"What, are you surprised seaweed brain? You jumped in front of my fathers bolt, of course it's going to hurt," the girl said. She was about medium height with black spiky hair and bright blue eye's that lit up with electricity. She held a spear, the tip crackling with electricity and an aura that clearly demanded respect.

"You did it to yourself kelp head," the other boy said. He was slightly shorter than the girl. He had a pure black sword at his side, olive pale skin, dark brown eyes and he radiated pure death.

"Shut up you two, I don't recall asking for a commentary," The first boy said as he put up his shield and sword. He was the tallest with about a foot on the girl. He had bright sea green eyes, jet black hair, and a powerful aura. "Now, where are we?" he asked. But before they could answer Zeus spoke up.

"YOU ARE IN THE THRONE ROOM OF THE GODS. I WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE. IT HAD BETTER BE A GOOD REASON OR THE THREE OF YOU WILL FEEL THE FULL MIGHT OF THE GODS AND GODDESSES IN THIS ROOM." Zeus yelled. He was angry. Not only did they stop him from killing that spawn of Poseidon, they interrupted the winter council meeting.

He motioned at all the gods and they each stood up, aside from Poseidon, and pointed their various weapon's at the three teenager's, when a sudden bright light shone and before them was a chest. The teens stared at it for a moment then the tallest one spoke up.

"Lord Zeus did you not bring us here?" The boy said baffled at the aggressiveness of the gods that they and so many had fought to protect from the titan's and the giants.

"No I did not summon you here! Who are you? What's with that chest? Open it up, see what's inside, now." Zeus ordered. The taller boy shrugged and opened it. He looked very confused. "What is in it boy?" Zeus asked.

"They're books sir, and a note." He said as he picked up the note and read it out loud.

_Dear Olympian Gods and goddesses,_

_I am certain your wondering who these children are and where they came from. All will be explained in due time. The books in the chest are the adventures of the Champion of Olympus and the adventures of the heroes of Olympus. More demigods will arrive from their time 14 years in the future. The demigods shall reveal their identities before the reading begins. Time will be frozen till all books are done. You shall not harm any demigod from the future and present. We are giving you a chance to change the future for the better, prevent deaths that are sure to come and to get to know your demigod children better. Don't mess up and do not forget, This is your only chance for a better future!_

_Sincerely_

_The Fate's_

_P.S. Listen to the demigods suggestions. They will be most helpful, to you and to the other gods and demigods._

As he finished reading, the boy looked at his partners and nodded. They looked at the now stunned gods who looked like they were shaken up by the note. They never got the chance to change fate and they didn't know why they were allowed to now. Recovering from their shock, Poseidon was able to send his younger son home to his mother, resolving to do his best to protect his son. The gods sat down in their throne's and Artemis spoke.

"Well demigods, I guess introductions are in order." She said.

The three teenager's looked at each other and the taller boy and girl pushed the younger one up front. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it sooo much" He said before he bowed to Zeus and said " My name is Nico DiAngelo son of Hades, BUT I was born before world war 2 and I was hidden away in the Lotus hotel and casino for 70 years." He added quickly seeing Zeus and Poseidon about to yell at his father.

Zeus grumbled but said nothing as he waved the next one to introduce themselves. The girl stepped forward and bowed like Nico did. "I am Thalia Grace," Zeus jumped at his daughters name and knew he was about to get yelled at by three gods. "Daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of Artemis". As soon as she finished talking Hades, Poseidon and Hera jumped up and started yelling at Zeus. After a few minutes they calmed down and sat back down in their thrones.

The taller boy stepped forward and bowed to Zeus as well. "My name is Perseus Jackson son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus" He said before backing up to stand in front of the other two.

Zeus sighed knowing he couldn't say anything about it any more. He made three arm chairs appear and the demigods sat down. Percy grabbed a book and groaned. He read the title out loud. "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Nico smiled evilly and said to Thalia, "I guess we get to see everything from Percy's point of view." They both laughed loudly as Percy groaned and said.

Chapter 1. I accidentally vaporize my algebra teacher.


	2. Vaporizing a Teacher

**I accidentally vaporize my pre- algebra teacher.**

"What on Gaea made you want to do that, Percy?" Hermes asked snickering slightly.

Percy blushed, remembering the incident and said, " I wasn't trying to but she didn't give me much of a choice."

**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. **

"No one does, seaweed brain" Thalia said sadly.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"Sorry, that wont work at all." Athena said. She didn't know what to think of when it came to this. Mostly she was trying to figure out the Fate's motive for allowing this to happen. But she looked up as Percy kept reading.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. **

At this all the god's and goddesses that had demigod kids looked down sadly, remembering their children they lost.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. **

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"You make it soundlike the F.B.I is after you." Apollo said giving a short laugh.

**Don't say I didn't warn you. **

"I kinda wish you had warned me Percy." Nico said. "It would have made some things easier to cope with." He looked sad and Percy knew he was talking about Bianca's death.

"I would have Nico, but at the time I was struggling with not strangling you to shut you up." Percy smiled trying to lighten Nico's mood. It worked too as Nico laughed.

**My name is Percy Jackson. **

"Uh, DUH, seaweed brain. I'm impressed, it only took you 12 years to memorize your own name. Good for you" Thalia said smirking as Percy stuck his tongue out at Thalia, before grumbling about payback on his evil cousins, as he started reading again.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York. Am I a troubled kid?**

"Not one word you two, I am not troubled," Percy said looking at his cousins.

"Sure thing kelp head, you keep telling yourself that," Thalia replied, smirking.

**Yeah. You could say that. **

"See, you even agreed with me," Thalia said as Nico cracked up at this.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff. **

**I know-it sounds like torture. **

"What are you talking about, I love museums. They hold a lot of our history, the good and the bad," Athena said glaring at Percy.

**Most Yancy field trips were. **

**But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes. **

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep. **

"You sleep through your classes? Why would you do that?" Athena said, thinking that maybe she should tutor Percy, before she remembered that he was the son of that sea spawn.

"It's hard to stay awake in a class you don't understand, a teacher who doesn't help you to understand, and a ADHD brain that focuses on what it wants and not what it needs to. I try Lady Athena but it is really hard to focus on my school work. Especially now when I need to keep my eye out for monsters and potential demigods," Percy replied.

"I am sorry son," Poseidon said, "for you its worse cause water is constantly in motion."

"Don't worry Lord Poseidon, we like Percy the way he is. An energetic, unpredictable, and extremely loyal seaweed brain." Nico said. He would have said more but he was cut off by Percy who continued to read.

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble. **

**Boy, was I wrong. **

"When aren't you ever right?" Thalia muttered. Artemis smiled at her for this but was still concerned for her current lieutenant. _What happened to Zoe? I'll have to ask Thalia later on a break. _She thought to herself.

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea. **

**This trip, I was determined to be good. **

"I doubt it Percy," Apollo said laughing hard as he and Hermes clutched their sides.

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich. **

"Eeew, gross, sounds like one of your kids Hermes," Aphrodite said wrinkling her nose on disgust.

"Don't insult me beauty queen, I can't give birth to something like that, my kids might be thieves and pranksters but they aren't cruel," Hermes shot back, as Thalia, Nico and Percy looked at each other remembering Luke.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated.**

"I'm sure goat boy would love your description of him," Thalia said laughing.

**He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria. **

"Ah, stupid satyr, way to blow your cover like that," Dionosys said.

"You're listening to the book, D" Ares said, bored out of his mind, and hoping something fun would happen soon.

"Of course im listening, you hot headed idiot, this is our chance to make a better future. Do you think that I would ignore it?" Dionysus said, flipping through his wine magazine as though he was bored.

"Watch it you drunk, insult me again and you will regret it," Ares shot back, smiling intimidating, as he polished his sword. Dionysus gulped slightly and told Percy to read on.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"Even if it wasn't your fault son?" Poseidon asked. Then frowned as Percy nodded.

**"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled. **

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"Oh grow a backbone satyr," Hades grumbled. He was already planning this girls torment.

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch. **

**"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat. **

**"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens." **

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then**

"Do you always hit a woman Perseus?" Artemis asked, a frown on her face.

"Percy won't hit any woman My Lady, unless they threaten his friends or family." Thalia said. She knew Artemis didn't like men threatening women, but she didn't want Percy to be seen as a bad guy.

"Good, there is hope for you so far Perseus Jackson, but don't mess up," Artemis threatened, smirking as Percy flinched from her gaze.

**and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour. **

"Hmm, sounds like Chiron, why would he be there watching Pierre?" Dionysus wondered out loud. He wasn't expecting an answer, but got one from Demeter anyways.

"He is watching the boy to see if he has the potential to be a great hero, you dolt" Demeter said, " you should know that by now. Maybe if you ate more muffins you wouldn't forget so easily."

"Only you would think that wheat could solve everything." Hades groaned. _At least she stopped ranting about how good corn meal is, _he thought.

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. **

**It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years. **

"A lot longer than that sea spawn," Athena said. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like him very much. _He better stay away from my daughters, _she thought menacingly. Percy eyed Athena warily, but kept reading.

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye. **

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. **

Hades gulped and summoned his armor, knowing that Poseidon was going to hurt him, once he found out that he had Alecto after Percy. He was curious though, since Percy apparently survived otherwise he wouldn't be here right now.

**She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. **

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month. **

"Does she still do the honey thing still?" Percy asked Nico.

"Yes and it annoys the crap out of me," Nico said.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right." **

"Thanks goat boy that was helpful," Percy said.

"He doesn't seem to do his job all that well, you need to train them more, Dionysus," Zues said.

Dionysus just nodded, not wanting to anger his father by arguing about his training method.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art. **

**Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"**

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

**"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir." **

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?" **

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?" **

"Why did Chiron have to ask about that one? It was a horrible time for us and we don't need the reminder." Hera and Demeter moaned.

**"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."**

**"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"**

"GOD" Zeus yelled.

**"God?" Mr. Brunner asked. **

"your lucky Chiron saved your butt kid, otherwise father would have blasted you," Ares said smiling and hoping for the action.

**"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"**

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me. **

"Eeew is right, it was horrible, but better than having to be forced out the other end I guess," Aphrodite said.

Everyone gagged at that thought, fighting hard not to imagine that happening. Once the naesua passed, Percy read on.

**"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won." **

**Some snickers from the group. **

"I don't get it, he got the answer right, even if he did downplay our biggest war into a few sentences," Hephestas said, starting everyone, since he had been quiet as usual.

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'" **

"You never know mortal, it is possible," Athena spat. She didn't like this girl one bit.

**"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?" **

"Busted" Nico said.

**"Busted," Grover muttered.**

"Great, I now think like a goat," Nico muttered.

**"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair. **

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears. **

"More like horse's ears son," Poseidon said grinning at Percy who grinned back.

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir." **

**"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?" **

"I see Chiron's tactfulness hasn't improved much," Apollo laughed.

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses. **

"When aren't they acting like doofuses?" Artemis and Thalia said together. They smiled at each other while Nico leaned into Percy and said.

"Creepy, they dress the same, think the same, and talk the same. You would think they were twins or something." Percy paled and kept quiet as Nico's laughing stopped abruptly as he shot out of the armchair. His butt was fried from the lightning Thalia shot him with.

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson." **

**I knew that was coming.**

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything. **

**"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

**"About the Titans?" **

**"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

**"Oh."**

**"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

"It was for the best. I see that now. And his advice will always be the one I'll listen to." Percy smiled thinking of his great teacher.

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No-he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral. **

"Most probably, he has seen many heroes come and go over the millinea." Nico said solemn.

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue. **

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in. **

"What are you two arguing about now," Hera sighed exasperatedly.

"I think I know, but for now I'll be quiet, and observe to see what is going on. I just hope I am wrong for once," Athena said worried. She didn't know how Zeus would take the answer, but she knew it was not going to be fun.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing. **

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere. **

"Hmmm, it didn't work very well did it aqua boy?" Nico asked before he got drenched in icy cold water. Percy smirked and continued.

**"Detention?" Grover asked. **

**"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius." **

"You will share Nico's problem if you even open your mouth Thalia," Percy warned her before she could comment.

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?" **

The throne room erupted into laughter at the satyr's comment. "He certainly is a different one isn't he." Apollo said between fits of laughter. Once everyone calmed down, Zeus waved Percy onward.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it. **

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me. **

"Awww, does the poor baby miss his mommy?" Ares taunted Percy. Instead of getting upset, Percy just smiled and said.

"Yup. I sure do, don't you miss your's Ares? Oh, wait, you still live with yours after 3 thousand years. So don't insult my love for my mother. You don't know her and you never will." Ares growled and tried to attack Percy, but before he could stand from his throne, water wrapped around him tying him down as the water froze solid. Poseidon put his hand down and smiled at Percy.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table. **

"Hmmm, I guess I should make him one of those," Hephestus said.

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap. **

"Percy? Do me a favor, and beat that girl up, she needs it." Thalia growled, protective of her best friend. Artemis nodding in agreement reluctantly.

**"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos. **

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears. **

"Yay, go super freaky cool fishy powers!" Nico yelled. Apollo laughed at that comment till he and Nico received slaps from Artemis and Thalia.

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!" **

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us. **

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-" **

**"-the water-" **

**"-like it grabbed her-" **

"Too bad I didn't know how to control my powers back then, I would have done worse," Percy said menacingly.

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again. **

"What else is new?" Thalia asked.

Percy glared and said, "Hey I'm doing good now on the trouble part."

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey-" **

**"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks." **

**That wasn't the right thing to say. **

"No Percy, you should never guess your punishment, they will only make it worse." Hermes said snickering.

**"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said. **

**"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her." **

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death. **

"She scares me too sometimes," Nico muttered.

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled. **

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said. **

**"But-" **

**"You-will-stay-here." **

**Grover looked at me desperately. **

**"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying." **

**"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now." **

**Nancy Bobofit smirked. **

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. **

"Well, if he is anything like his father, then that is pretty scary," Demeter said. Poseidon smiled at her and said.

"Thank you sister"

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast? **

"She's a monster, moron," Athena said, only to receive two very intimidating glares, and she sank back into her throne.

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things. **

**I wasn't so sure. **

**I went after Mrs. Dodds. **

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel. **

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall. **

"Why isn't Chiron doing anything?" Poseidon asked, suddenly very worried about Percy.

"He won't make a move till he is certain there is danger?" Dionysus said.

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop. **

"You wish boy," Hades said smiling evilly. He frowned as Percy looked at him and innocently smiled, his eyes flickering to his dad and back to Hades, making the lord of the Underworld shiver slightly in fear.

**But apparently that wasn't the plan. **

"It never is," Percy moaned.

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section. **

**Except for us, the gallery was empty. **

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling. **

Artemis's eyes shot wide open as she realized who the monster was. She looked at Percy and wondered how it was that he lived this at all.

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it... **

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said. **

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am." **

"Since when have you ever done the safe thing kelp head?" Thalia laughed. She was nervous though, she didn't see how he would survive this attack.

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?" **

"Away with what?" Hera asked.

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil. **

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me. **

**I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am." **

**Thunder shook the building. **

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain." **

**I didn't know what she was talking about. **

"You never do till its all over," Nico said.

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book. **

Athena looked like she was having a heart attack, "How could you not read that book, it is a classic?" Percy couldn't answer and kept his eyes on the book waiting til Athena sat back down.

**"Well?" she demanded. **

**"Ma'am, I don't..." **

**"Your time is up," she hissed. **

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons. **

All the gods had to help keep Poseidon back from strangling Hades. "Why would you send them after my son, what did my son do to you?" He yelled as Hades cowered.

"I don't know what he has done to me cause this hasn't happened yet," Hades said calmly as Poseidon sat back down glaring at him harshly/

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand. **

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air. **

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me. **

Poseidon smiled in relief as he realized what this pen was and knew Percy would be ok.

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day. **

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes. **

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword. **

"You wimp, I bet I could easily beat you in a fight" Ares said, smiling, but the smile went away as he and the other gods looked at Percy, who was rolling on the floor laughing. Once he caught his breath he kept reading.

**She snarled, "Die, honey!" **

**And she flew straight at me. **

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword. **

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss! **

The gods were shocked to say the least. No training whatsoever, didn't even know who he was and he dispatched a Fury.

**Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me. I was alone. **

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand. **

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me. **

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something. **

"I wish it was that. It would have saved me a lot of problems," Percy said.

**Had I imagined the whole thing? **

**I went back outside. **

**It had started to rain. **

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt." **

"Who?' Poseidon asked.

**I said, "Who?" **

"Like father like son," Hera smiled.

**"Our teacher. Duh!" **

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about. **

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away. **

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was. **

**He said, "Who?" **

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

Hermes smiled and said "I need to teach him to lie properly"

**"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious." **

**Thunder boomed overhead. **

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved. **

**I went over to him. **

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson." **

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it. **

**"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?" **

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?" **

"Chiron on the other hand just needs lessons on changing subjects" Apollo said.

**"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher." He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?" **

"That's the first chapter, who reads next?" Percy asked. Thalia took it from him. She looked at the title and paled slightly.

She was about to start when a flash lit the room up and a new kid stood there. When the flash subsided the demigods gasped. It was ….


	3. Knitting some socks

Percy's pov

Standing there was Grover and Annabeth, both of whom looked a little naseous. Once they saw me and the other two, they tackled us.

"Where have you three been. Percy disappeared in the middle of his sword training class. Chiron has almost had a heart attack when Clarisse told him. Artemis is going insane, you went missing in the middle of a hunt, and Hades is basically destroying the underworld and Tartarus looking for you Nico." Grover said bleating. He was upset thinking he lost his three friends.

"Why are we with the Olympians?" Annabeth asked. As Percy explained what was going on and why they were here, they listened very closely. When Percy was done Grover bowed to Lord Zeus and said, "Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild and finder of Pan."

"You found my son?" Hermes stated happily. He just didn't understand why Grover was upset.

Annabeth bowed as well and said, "Annabeth Chase, Official Architect of Olympus and daughter of Athena." Athena smiled proudly at Annabeth and frowned slightly thinking of why Olympus would need a new Architect.

"Well, now that we are introduced, let's read this chapter and we can head to bed," Zeus said. He was tired and getting a little cranky.

Thalia started reading.

**Three old ladies knit the socks of death.**

"Percy, you might want to think of better titles, I think your going to give poor uncle a heart attack, which shouldn't be possible," Apollo said snickering.

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas. **

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho. **

"You are a phsyco seaweed brain" Annabeth said smiling at him.

Percy stuck his tongue out at her and said, " Gee, thanks wise girl, and here I thought my crazy ideas were good sometimes."

She smiled and replied, "I never said they weren't, I just said you were psycho"

**It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed. **

**Almost. But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying. **

Said satyr blushed and said, "I've gotten better haven't I? I was able to convince Thalia that I thought Green Day was a great band." Then he gulped and hid from Thalia as she glared at him.

"I'll get you to listen to them goat boy, whether you want to or not," Thalia declared.

**Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. **

"no duh, Percy, your just too slow to figure it out, among other things," Nico said meaningfully. He knew they were talking about his relationship with Annabeth. He blushed deep red and told Thalia to keep reading.

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat. **

"Ah, the beginning of a fun future." Percy muttered.

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

Hestia appeared out of the hearth. She had been listening to the story, and she decided to make herself known to the other's. "Brother, taking your problems out on the mortals won't help anyone." Zeus hung his head. Only Hestia could make him feel guilty.

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class. **

"Good actual fights are happening," Ares said. But Athena was in horror.

"How is that good. His grades are terrible. You need to be tutored."

"I am getting tutored Lady Athena. Annabeth tutors me now." Percy replied.

"Yes, their study sessions are real fun for him." Nico whispered to Thalia sarcastically. Thalia giggled softly as she continued reading.

**Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good. **

"It means old drunk seaweed brain." Annabeth said as she laughed quietly to herself.

Apollo looked at Dionysus and said, "Hey there D, You're an old sot." He burst out laughing with Hermes before he got smacked hard.

"Will you shut up you annoying womanizer." Artemis said crankily.

**The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. **

**Fine, I told myself. Just fine. **

**I was homesick. **

"I love being with my mom, she is the best." Percy said as Hera smiled. _Why can't my son's love me like that? _She thought.

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties. And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me. **

"Gee thanks Perce, you have so much faith in me," Grover said.

Percy smiled and said, "Yup I sure do G-man."

**I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. **

**As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him. **

"Well at least your believing him, and your studying hard too," Annabeth said approvingly.

Percy smiled and kissed her. He was about to say something but was cut off by a large squeal piercing evey eardrum in the room.

"They look so good together." Aphrodite said dreamily.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY DAUGHTER THAT WAY YOU SEA SPAWN!?" Athena screeched. She was about to attack him. But she was cut off by Poseidon,

"Athena. That's enough. They seem to be happy together. I approve of their relationship. Let it go. Our problems with each other are our problems, not theirs." Poseidon said, shutting Athena up.

"Thanks Dad," Percy said happily.

"Your welcome my boy," Poseidon replied. Athena was speechless. She wanted to disapprove, but had to realize that Poseidon was right. Our kids have lives of their own.

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it. **

"I know the differences now, seeing as I've met them both. I am still working on the latin though." Percy said happily. Poseidon, on the other hand, looked worried.

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt. **

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. **

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. **

"Good, you shouldn't throw books, that will only lead to trouble," Hermes said with as solemn a expression he could manage before he burst out laughing, the demigods and Apollo joining him.

**I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried. **

"As long as you gave it your best, Chiron would be proud," Annabeth said cuddling into Percy.

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. **

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy, sir." **

**I froze. **

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper,**

"Yeah, Percy, I'm sure you're not," Hermes said grinning widely.

**but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

"Good point," Hermes admitted.

**I inched closer. **

**"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-" **

**"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."**

"Still waiting for that day Chiron, still waiting," Thalia said as the other demigods snickered and Percy pouted.

**"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- " **

This piqued Athena's attention. She saw Artemis stiffen and look at her. Artemis nodded and she knew Artemis figured it out.

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can." **

**"Sir, he saw her... ." **

**"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that." "Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean." **

Thalia stopped reading and glared hard at Grover. Grover just raised his hands in defeat and said, "I know, I know, sheesh, It wasn't my fault. You made it known it was your choice.

**"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-" **

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud. **

**Mr. Brunner went silent. **

Hermes looked exasperated and said, " You never give your position away, Percy. I am going to teach you how to be sneaky, like I need to teach Apollo so he can sneak up on the Hunt…" Hermes stopped talking abruptly.

Artemis looked at Apollo and said, "Step one foot in my hunts camp, Apollo, and we will use you for target practice." Apollo gulped visibly but Artemis's threat was not done, " And I will make sure they aim for your privates." Apollo and all the other males shuddered hard and paled as the goddesses smirked at each other.

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall. **

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow. **

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside. **

"Good job, Percy you found a hiding place," Hermes approved.

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on. **

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. **

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice." **

**"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..." "Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow." **

"That is the worst thing about being a Keeper, having to do the same grade, and exams over and over again." Grover complained.

**"Don't remind me." **

**The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office. **

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. **

**Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm. **

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night. **

**"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?" **

**I didn't answer. **

**"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?" **

**"Just... tired." **

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

"That won't work Pedro, they can read your emotions," Dionysus said.

"Dionysus, if you don't want to drown in your bath tonight, then you will start using their correct names," Poseidon threatened. Dionysus gulped but didn't say anything.

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.**

"The story of my life," Percy said sighing. All he wanted was to be happy.

Poseidon looked shocked and asked, " How much danger are you in on a daily basis?"

Percy just looked at him and said, "A lot dad. For four years straight, I had to look over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't going to be attacked at any second. Poseidon looked about ready to pass out.

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside. **

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem. **

**"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best." **

"He still needs to work on his inspriration speeches." Thalia moaned.

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips. **

"Gods, it like everything I hate in men in a woman, I didn't think it was possible," Artemis said,clearly mystified. It made her start thinking that men weren't the only bad people out there.

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir." **

**"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time." **

**My eyes stung. **

"Awww is the poor baby going to start crying?" Ares taunted. Only to get hit hard in the head by Aphrodites purse.

"Shut up Ares, just cause you have no feelings doesn't mean Percy can't," Aphrodite said before turning towards her husband and holding his hand. She resolved to end it with Ares and to make Hephestus feel more loved by her.

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out. **

**"Right," I said, trembling. **

**"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-"**

**"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me. **

"Don't worry seaweed brain, we are happy you are the way you are, we won't have it any other way," Annabeth said kissing him deeply.

**"Percy-" **

**But I was already gone. **

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. **

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies. **

"So I am a nobody, son?" Poseidon said, smiling.

"Of course, I'm glad to hear you finally admit it brother." Hades said teasing him. Only making Poseidon pout and Zeus laugh.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city. **

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall. **

"Well at least your not kicked out of your last school," Nico said edgily. He had started going there, but got kicked out. "I mean you kill one monster who pretended to be a teacher and suddenly your not good enough for Goode High." Nico continued and he would have said more but Thalia cut him off.

**"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool." **

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed. **

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city. **

Percy smiled mischievously and said, " Wow Grover, way to keep up with a stalker image." Everyone laughed except Grover who just blushed.

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound. **

"Besides Percy," Grover grumbled. He was worried cause he never told anyone besides Chiron about the bus ride.

**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. **

**I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?" **

"Way to make me have a stroke Perce, really, thanks so much," Grover grumbled.

"Your are welcome, O Great Lord of the Wild." Percy said sarcastically.

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?" **

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam. **

Hermes sighed, "Never confess Percy."

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?" **

**"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?" **

**He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..." **

"Wow goat boy you're a terrible liar" Thalia said.

**"Grover-" **

**"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..." **

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar." **

"Some one had to say it, at least I was nice about it," Percy said seeing Grover look down about it.

**His ears turned pink. From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer. **

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like: **

"Dionysus, Change the damn script on those cards, this is the last time ill tell you to," Zeus ordered. Dionysus gulped and nodded, but he wouldn't do it. It was funny to see them try to read it.

**Grover Underwood **

**Keeper **

**Half-Blood Hill **

**Long Island, New York **

**(800) 009-0009 **

**"What's Half-" **

**"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address." **

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy. "Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion." **

"A mansion? Goat boy wishes he had one," Apollo said snickering. Grover just blushed cause he knew it was true. He did want a mansion. But he knew he couldn't get one unless he built it. He would talk to Annabeth about it later.

**He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me." **

**"Why would I need you?" **

"Wow Perseus, that was a bit mean," Aphrodite chided as she winked at him. Percy gulped and blushed. He didn't know what she was planning but he didn't need anymore problems from her.

**It came out harsher than I meant it to. **

**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you." **

"Thank you for that Grover," Poseidon said.

"Ummm, your welcome, my lord," Grover stuttered. Not many gods would talk to satyrs, let alone address them by their own name.

**I stared at him. **

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me. **

"A very loyal child, I approve of you for now Perseus Jackson, don't give me a reason to hunt you down," Athena said. She was trying to let her daughter live her life. It didn't mean she could mess with the boys head. She smiled as he gulped and paled a little.

**"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?" **

"You probably should have told him then Grover, maybe he wouldn't have been such a pain to convince him he was a demigod." Annabeth said.

Grover smiled sheepishly and said, "I would have but Chiron said not to."

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway. **

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else. **

**We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen. **

"Sounds like a nice little place" Demeter wondered. She liked little fruit stands. Too bad they didn't sell muffins.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. **

Poseidon passed out right then and there. The other gods looked at Percy with sympathy and wondered how he was alive. Annabeth, however, with Nico and Thalia, rounded on Grover as Percy sat quietly remembering all of this.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE FATES, GROVER? WHY!?," Annabeth screamed, tears in her eyes. Grover just coward and Percy knew he had to stop her from killing him.

"Calm down Annabeth. I am right here and I am alive. Grover didn't tell you under strict orders from Chiron." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and whispering to her to calm her down. They sat down and Thalia sensing the need to get the chapter over with cleared her throat and kept reading.

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. **

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me. **

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching. **

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-" **

**"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?" **

**"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?" **

"Not funny seaweed brain, not funny at all." Annabeth whispered into his shoulders.

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all." **

If the situation wasn't so tense Thalia also would have said something. But she decided to zap his butt off later and kept reading.

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath. "We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."**

"That wont work satyr, once they cut the thread its over," Apollo said. He liked Percy. But he didn't see a way out of this.

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there." **

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back. **

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

"Only you would think of something like that Percy," Nico said. He smiled though trying to lessen the tension.

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life. **

**The passengers cheered. **

**"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!" **

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu. **

Poseidon woke up, "Nooo, I cant lose my son this way," he moaned. Percy walked to his father and whispered something in his ear and Poseidon calmed down.

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. **

**"Grover?" **

**"Yeah?" **

**"What are you not telling me?" He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?" **

"3 old ladies knitting Grover, weren't you paying attention,? Hermes said. The mood of the room lightened considerably as everyone started laughing. Once everyone calmed down Thalia continued.

**"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?" **

"No child, they are a lot worse than my Furies," Hades said evilly.

**His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw." **

**"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." **

**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older. **

Athena smiled and said, "You are observant, I can respect that." Percy smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment Lady Athena," Percy replied. Everyone was stunned. Athena complimenting Percy wasn't something they were used. Poseidon eyed her suspiciously. _What are you up to Athena? _He wondered.

**He said, "You saw her snip the cord." **

**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal. **

**"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time." **

Grover yelped as he shot out of his seat. He had been soaked with water then shocked hard. "Sorry guys but I can't help it."

**"What last time?" **

**"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth." **

**"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?" **

**"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me." This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. **

**"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked. **

**No answer. **

**"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?" **

"You figured it out?" Thalia asked disbelieving. "I guess you do have a working brain in that kelp filled head of your's." She smirked before she got doused in ice cold water. "Damn it Percy. Dry me off now." Percy smirked before touching her and drying her. Thalia grumbled out the last sentence.

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin. **

"That's the last of that chapter" Thalia said.

"Very well. Everyone show up tomorrow at 9 A.M. sharp." Zeus said before the gods flashed out.

"Umm, are we sleeping in here?" Nico asked. Hermes reappeared and apologized.

"Sorry guys, follow me, I'll show you where you will be sleeping till this is all over." Hermes said. He led us through a side door and into a small building next to the throne room. This building was simple, but elegant. With many rooms off to each side of the hallway. "Those are the bedrooms," He said pointing down the hallway. "Sleep tight guys and goodnight." Hermes then flashed out, leaving them to their thoughts.

"Well, I am a little hungry, so I am grabbing a bite to eat before I go to bed." Percy said. Everyone decided to do the same.


	4. Wakey, Wakey!

"Let me think," Percy said. He and Annabeth had stayed up after everyone had eaten and gone to sleep. They were talking about the books. About the Fates and about anything they could think of. "The bolt, the fleece, rescuing you and Artemis, The Labyrinth, and the battle of Manhattan. That's 5 book's right there. What could the other books be about?"

Annabeth's eyes turned stormy grey. Percy knew that look very well. Annabeth was thinking very hard. You could almost see the gears turning in her head. "I don't know Percy, it's strange. Maybe they are our future adventures? Or the adventures of other demigods? I don't know for sure but we will find out."

"I am tired of prophecies Annabeth. If this is our chance to change the future for the better, is it possible that the prophecy will change?" Percy said doubtfully. He knew that prophecies were absolute. Didn't mean he liked that. If there was a way to stop the rise of Kronos, prevent the deaths of his friends and keep Luke from going to the wrong side he would do it.

"I doubt it Percy, you will still be the child of the prophecy, and you can't change that." Percy frowned. He knew she was right. Didn't mean he liked it. Percy hated that he couldn't save his friends who died in the war. "We can only do so much seaweed brain. The rest is up to the gods." Annabeth continued. She knew Percy berated himself for not being able to save everyone.

"Well ,wise girl, I think we should go to bed. It is pretty late and we need to get up pretty early. And I know how you need your sleep. Otherwise you get very cranky." Percy said. He smiled his crooked smile as the two went to their respective rooms.

Percy lay awake for awhile, thinking. Maybe he could get his request honored sooner instead of after the war. He was broken out of his thoughts as his door opened slowly. He looked up too see Annabeth laying down next to him. She kissed him deeply.

"I couldn't sleep. Sorry if I woke you up," Annabeth said. Percy smiled and pulled her close. They held each other for a while and Percy whispered back.

"Don't worry wise girl. I was just thinking. Anyways let get some sleep, ok?" Percy said smiling his crooked smile. After another long deep kiss, they broke away, and they snuggled closer. Annabeth woke up at 7:30 and went to the kitchen to see everyone there already. Thalia looked up and smiled.

"Hey Annie, how's it going? Did you get much sleep last night?" Thalia smirked. Annabeth blushed and slapped Nico upside the head. Hard. He face planted into his oatmeal. The result. Nico looked like an oatmeal mummy.

"Owww," Nico complained. "What did I do? Thalia said it, not me." He glared at Annabeth. She, like everyone else in the room just laughed hard.

"I couldn't hit Thalia, Nico. I value my life," Annabeth said as she caught her breath. She hot some bowls and pans and started to make pancakes. She smiled. Blue pancakes. She knew he would like that. As she was finishing up she asked Thalia to get Percy up.

Annabeth had just sat Percy's plate down at the counter for him. That's when she heard Thalia. She went to check out what was going on. Thalia had opened he window to Percy's room. Then she proceeded to call lightning from the sky to enter the room and hit Percy. Percy jumped straight up out of bed and looked at Thalia. He growled at her. Before he could retaliate Annabeth stepped in front of him laughing softly. Percy calmed down slowly before he smiled and said innocently to Thalia. "Good morning pinecone face," Thalia was suspicious of Percy's attitude. She ran to her room and grabbed some clothes and told us she was taking a shower.

"Next time wise girl, please wake me up instead," Percy asked. He got changed and went to the kitchen. He sat down and started to shovel food into his mouth. Annabeth sat down and started to eat at a slower pace. She looked up for a minute only to see Percy sitting still with his eyes closed. She thought he fell asleep again. Then she heard Thalia.

"Percy Jackson, unfreeze the water NOW!" Thalia screamed. Percy Nico and Grover just laughed. Annabeth looked at Percy sternly, but couldn't help but smile at their antics. Percy sighed and returned Thalia's shower to normal temperature. They finished eating and Thalia came out glaring at Percy who just smiled back. They looked at the clock. 8:55 A.M.. They decided that it was the best time to get to the throne room.

As they arrived they saw the gods sitting there murmuring to themselves about the book. Once the gods noticed their arrivals they all flashed down to normal human heights. The made armchairs that looked exactly like their own thrones and sat down. Hermes turned to Thalia and Percy, smiled and said.

"Good job on those pranks you two. Your antics remind me of father and my two uncles before they became all serious with their lives." Hermes smiled and laughed as Hera and Demeter nodded to say it was true. Poseidon pouted, Hades smirked, and Zeus sighed.

"We weren't that bad when we were young," Zeus said grumpily. The hearth flame rose up shocking everyone as Hestia stepped out of the fire.

She looked at Zeus and said, "Dear brother, you, Poseidon and Hades were freaking devils when you were you. You pranked everyone and everything. Especially each other. Don't sit there and say otherwise, you know it's true." Hestia smiled as the three pouted. Only Hestia could talk to the three brothers and not get blasted. No one could get mad at her. She was the peace keeper. When she spoke you listened cause you knew it was important.

"Ok sister, you got us," Poseidon said. "Let's continue with the books. I am sure to have multiple heart attacks in the next few days and I want to get them over with. Who will read next?"

"I will," Nico answered. Poseidon passed the book to him and sat back. Nico cleared his throat. "Grover unexpectedly loses his pants."

Grover blushed at the title while the others laughed.


	5. No pants for Grover

"Grover unexpectedly loses his pants" Nico read. The gods and demigods burst out laughing. Grover blushed dark red and glared at Percy.

Percy, upon seeing his glare, raised his hand in surrender and said, "Hey don't look at me. I don't name these chapters. It's whoever wrote this book that does." Grover just sighed and let it go.

Thalia looked at Grover and said, "You know Grover, leaving the house without pants are a crime. And it's not something people want to see." Everyone laughed harder. Even Grover had to grin at that comment. Once everyone calmed down, Nico kept reading.

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

"Great job at keeping that promise Perce," Grover glared half-heartedly. Percy just shrugged.

"You were freaking me out dude, what else could my ADHD brain let me do." Percy replied.

**I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?" **

"He has a point there satyr. That would freak a lot of people out if you did that," Artemis said.

Grover just nodded and blushed. Everyone knew satyr's loved Artemis. And no one was going to let Grover live it down.

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

Grover just glared and said nothing.

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver. **

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

"She is awesome," the demigods shouted. It was loud enough that they woke Ares from his nap. He promptly fell of the armchair and landed head first on the marble throne room floor. Everyone laughed as he got up. A little bit of ichor dripped from his nose. Nico read on quickly though to prevent him from yelling.

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma. **

"Brother. You need to stop taking your anger out on the mortals. It isn't fair to them. They aren't the ones who upset you," Hestia chided. Zeus just hung his head guiltily while Hades and Poseidon snickered as their brother, the almighty king of the gods, got in trouble.

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.**

Poseidon smiled as Aphrodite cooed. "He stills loves her. It's so cute," she squealed.

Athena tried her best to ignore it, but there it was. A feeling that felt like… anger? Hatred? No. It was jealousy. But she couldn't figure out why she was jealous.

**I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures. **

**See, they weren't married. **

"I tried to marry her, but Sally was to stubborn. She wanted to live her own life. It's why I love her so much still." Poseidon said. The love was so thick in his voice that everyone barely had time to cover their ears before Aphrodite' squeal destroyed their eardrums. As it was Ares who woke up again very much in pain as he held his ear, cursing and yelling. Aphrodite threw her shoes at him before she turned and kissed Hephaestus.

**She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.**

"Why would this woman, who is obviously very smart and talented, choose this barnacle encrusted idiot over here to love?" Athena said surprising everyone. She never made jokes. "What?" She said, "I am allowed to be funny too, you know."

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid. Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.**

Everyone heard teeth being ground. They looked at Poseidon, but saw that it wasn't him. They then looked at Percy. He was trying very hard not to let himself destroy the throne room before his fight with Kronos. Annabeth started rubbing soothing circles on his back. He slowly started to calm down. Once he was fine Nico kept reading.

**Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.**

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home." **

"That's it? No welcome back? Doesn't he at least care that your ok?" Hera screeched. She was about to blast this mortal.

**"Where's my mom?" **

**"Working," he said. "You got any cash?" **

**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months? **

Artemis gritted her teeth as well. This mortal is the very thing she hates men for. She looked at Percy as he joked around with Thalia. _At least he turned out to be respectable in my eyes, _Artemis thought.

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something. **

"Good us, what is wrong with this mortal? He is terrible." Demeter said. Everyone nodded to agree with her. Even Hestia wanted to throw something at that mortals head.

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out. "I don't have any cash," I told him. **

"HE BETTER NOT HAVE HIT YOU!" Poseidon and Annabeth yelled. They looked at Percy and he just nodded. Percy knew Gabe was in for a rude awakening soon. _Next time he was in the shower he will pay, Poseidon thought._

**He raised a greasy eyebrow. **

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else. **

Athena gasped and looked at Poseidon. "This Sally is amazing. You can't attack the mortal Poseidon. She is protecting Perseus by marrying him. The mortals smell is covering his scent."

Poseidon just gritted his teeth and looked at Grover. He nodded and Poseidon sighed. "Fine, I won't kill him."

**"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."**

**"Am I right?" Gabe repeated. **

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony. **

The goddesses wrinkled their noses, with a chorus of "Eeews" from all of them.

**"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose." **

"Consider him never winning a single game again done," Dionysus said. Hermes smiled mischievously.

"Consider him to be at the mercy of my kids as well. Anything valueable to him will be lost loss," Hermes said. Percy just grinned and nodded.

**"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!" **

"Percy might not be the smartest person but he has more brains than you do you scum," Nico snarled. Hades smiled at his son and started to plan his own personal torment for this man. Something to do with never ending poker and beer that would burn his throat.

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer. I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home. **

"This is by far the worst definition of home I have ever heard," Hestia said. She thought highly of Perseus so far and couldn't understand why he had such a hard life.

**Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn. **

"That bad?" Thalia asked.

"Put it this way Thals, I would rather grandfather raise me, instead of Gabe." Poseidon and Hades winced as they thought of how their father raised them. Not exactly comforting.

**But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone-something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons. **

Ares leaned forward, anticipating a fight to come. But as the next line is read he frowns and leaned back.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?" **

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted. **

"Good. That is how it is supposed to be," Hera said approvingly. Hephaestus and Ares just rolled their eyes. She only cared about them if they made her happy.

**My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe. **

"A very patient saint of a woman. She is very worthy of my respect," Demeter said. She thought Hades was bad, but she would put up with him for eternity instead of one night with that mortal man.

**"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!" **

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home. **

Apollo started to drool as he thought of getting some candy. He looked over at Hermes to see the same reaction. Hermes though lifted a bag of M & M's out of his pocket and started teasing Apollo with it as he ate slowly. All Apollo could do was glare.

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

"Awww, that's so cute. NOT!," Ares said. He wanted some action and he figured if he taunted Percy enough he would get a fight. What he didn't see was the gigantic peacock, the large horse and the large crane sneak up on him and attack him.

"Thank you Lady Hera and Lady Hestia and Dad," Percy said. Everyone was snickering now as Ares started crying for his mommy. But they really burst out laughing when a very large dove took a poop on his head.

"You and I are through Ares. You are nowhere near good enough for me," Aphrodite said. She turned around and snuggled with Hephaestus who looked very pleased.

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her. **

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?" **

"Hades? Please set up your worst torture for that mortal." Poseidon asked through clenched teeth.

"I already have brother. Don't worry brother he will have fun," Hades smile maliciously. The other gods shuddered.

**I gritted my teeth. **

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe. **

"I agree, this woman deserves it," Zeus said. Everyone was shocked. Zeus rarely spoke highly of anyone, let alone a mortal.

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad. **

**Until that trip to the museum ... **

**"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?" **

**"No, Mom." **

"You shouldn't lie to your mother, it's not nice," Hera chided.

"At the time I thought I was going crazy Lady Hera. I thought it was an illusion or something," Percy said. Better to try to make friends with her now. Maybe she wont get mad when we read about the Labyrinth.

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid. **

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me. **

**"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach." **

Percy and Poseidon smiled. They loved Montauk beach.

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?" **

**"Three nights-same cabin." **

**"When?" **

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed." **

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money. **

"Maybe if this stupid mortal didn't blow their money on stupid poker parties then there would be money," Apollo said. He was still eying the bag of candy in Hermes lap, trying to think of a way to steal it.

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?" **

**I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here. **

"Good please get away from this man, before I kill him," Artemis said. She might just give him a visit when this was all over.

**"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip." **

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?" **

**"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go." **

**"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works." **

"Ah good, bribery. I like how she thinks," Hermes said smiling.

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?" **

"COVER YOUR EARS," Athena yelled. Everyone besides Ares did.

"Why?" Ares asked. As if answer to his question, Aphrodite let loose her anger.

"HOW DARE YOU TAKE HER CLOTHES MONEY AWAY FROM HER. YOU DISGUSTING SLIME BALL, I CURSE YOU TO HAVE THE WORST OF LUCK EVER. NO WOMAN SHALL EVER FIND YOU ATTRACTIVE." Aphrodite ranted on. She would have kept going but Hephaestus stopped her with promises of building Sally an enchanted dresser that Aphrodite could stock with any clothing she wanted to give to Sally. Aphrodite calmed down then.

**"Yes, honey," my mother said. **

**"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back." **

**"We'll be very careful." **

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game." **

"Apologize my butt, I didn't do anything wrong," Percy snarled. He hated having to relive these memories again.

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week. **

"For once I agree with a demigod. Please tell me you did it," Zeus asked. Percy sadly shook his head.

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad. **

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought? **

**"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now." **

"Good. He doesn't even deserve an apology in the first place. So a little sarcasm is good." Thalia said.

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement. **

"He will be lucky if can use his brain once I am done with him," Athena threatened.

Annabeth was shocked. But she was happy. Who would have thought that her mother would have stood up for a son of Poseidon. She smiled and kissed Percy on the cheek.

**"Yeah, whatever," he decided. **

**He went back to his game. "Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?" **

"She knows something happened at school. She is a very perceptive woman," Hestia said. Percy smiled at her knowing that she will get some more recognition in the future.

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air. **

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip. **

**An hour later we were ready to leave. **

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend. **

**"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch." **

"He is twelve you moron. He won't be driving," Hera screeched. This is why she didn't like mortals at all.

Percy though looked at Grover and smiled. They knew what happened to his car.

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me. **

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.**

The gods started laughing loudly. "That is epic. Great job Percy." Apollo said.

**Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out. **

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.**

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in. **

Poseidon and Percy both smiled widely as Athena and Annabeth both shivered. They hated Arachne's children.

**I loved the place. **

"Of course you do seaweed brain. It's a beach." Thalia rolled her eyes.

**We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad. **

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea. **

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work. **

"What is with the blue food?" Dionysus asked. It shocked the campers that he was paying attention.

**I guess I should explain the blue food. **

Everyone laughed at Dionysus. He blushed but said nothing with his father there.

**See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me. **

"Percy, you don't have a streak. You have a rebellious life," The demigods and satyr said. Poseidon smiling wide. The sea hates to be restrained.

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. **

Zeus looked guilty. He looked at Percy, "I am sorry." Everyone was shocked. The proud king of the gods never apologized to anyone.

**She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop. Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them. **

**"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

"And his apparent knack for trouble and inability to keep quiet," Hades smirked. Poseidon just laughed. Hades was right after all.

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud." **

"I am proud of you Percy." His father said. Percy beamed at the compliment.

**I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years. **

**"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?" **

"Umm, I did visit once while you and your mom were asleep." Poseidon said. Zeus grumbled but said nothing.

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin." **

**"But... he knew me as a baby." **

**"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born." **

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile. **

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ... I felt angry at my father.**

"I am sorry son. The gods are forbidden to visit their children, trust me I wish it was different." Poseidon smiled sadly.

"It's ok dad, we understand," Percy said.

**Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe. **

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?" **

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire. **

**"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something." **

**"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out. **

"You should regret those words child," Hera said. "She is doing a lot to protect you." Percy just nodded. He didn't want to reply and piss her off.

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy. **

**"Because I'm not normal," I said.**

"You're right Percy, nice to know you finally admit. But don't worry, we wont want you any other way." Thalia said.

**"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe." **

**"Safe from what?" **

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget. During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head. **

Poseidon looked confused, but happy. "I sent someone from the forges to check on you? There must have been a powerful monster nearby for me to do that.

**Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands. **

"Just like my son," Zeus said. He didn't seem to notice the glare Percy, Thalia and Artemis were giving him.

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move. **

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that. **

"That, young man, is how many demigods get killed before they reached camp," Dionysus said. Percy was about to say something, but before he could Dionysus was hit with some lightning. He stood up glaring at his father, who was laughing his butt off. "why did you shock me father," He whined.

Zeus just laughed and replied, "That wasn't me son." Dionysus rounded on Thalia, who was on the floor rolling around. He would have done something but one look from Zeus and Dionysus thought better of it. He sat down and told Nico to continue with the story.

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it." **

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?" **

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp." **

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before? **

"A good mother never wants to let her children go," Hera stated. She ignored the glares from Ares and Hephaestus.

**"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good." **

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..." **

"Your too powerful. Your scent would carry for miles," Athena reasoned. She didn't know why but she was beginning to like the boy.

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry. **

**That night I had a vivid dream. **

Annabeth shuddered. She has heard to many of his dreams. None were good.

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, **

"Yup, that's our idiot brothers fighting again," Demeter said getting a laugh from Hera and Hestia.

Poseidon and Zeus pouted and Hades just laughed at their expressions.

**were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder. **

"And of course, the morbid jerk is egging it on," Demeter continued.

"Let it go Demeter. Persephone is happy with me." Hades griped.

"I won't let it go, YOU KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER. FORCED HER TO MARRY YOU. I ONLY GET TO SEE HER FOR A FEW MONTHS!"

"ENOUGH! Demeter, for thousands of years Hades has apologized. Can you at least get over the kidnapping and be happy that Persephone is happy?" Zeus asked.

"Fine, for my daughter I will," Demeter said reluctantly.

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No! **

**I woke with a start. **

"HA! I WON. IN YOUR FACE BROTHER," Zeus said triumphantly. Poseidon just rolled his eyes and waved Nico on.

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery. **

"Really, Poseidon. What has you so pissed off," Apollo said.

Poseidon just shrugged and said, "I'm not sure."

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane." **

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end. **

"Tsk, tsk, Uncle, you shouldn't forget the time of year. It is dangerous for mortals." Hermes said. Apollo said laughing.

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock. **

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover. **

"What are you exactly Grover?" Aphrodite asked knowingly. She whinked at him and Grover fainted. Percy and Annabeth propped him up in his chair and Nico continued with the story.

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?" **

"When is Percy ever thinking?" Thalia said smirking as Percy pouted.

"I do think a lot. There is a difference between slow and stupid pine cone face." Percy said.

**My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come. **

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?" **

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing. **

**"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

"I can't believe you expected him to Grover. Percy is one to tell people about the bad things," Annabeth said lovingly. Percy smiled and kissed her softly as Thalia gagged jokingly.

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be ... **

"Were what Percy? What were you looking for exactly?," Apollo intoned. He started to laugh but was hit hard upside the head by an arrow with a boxing glove on the tip.

"My, my o great god of prophecies, didn't see that coming did you? I think you need to work on your powers more," Artemis said as the other gods laughed hard. With a newly formed black eye he told Nico to continue.

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!" **

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning. **

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!" Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked. **

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves. **

"About time you spit it out," Dionysus said.

Percy just blushed. "That's it for that chapter," Nico said as Annabeth took the book from him. Annabeth flipped the page and paled. She knew Poseidon and Percy weren't going to like this chapter.

"Chapter four. My mom teaches me bull fighting." Annabeth said. Percy stiffened and she saw him get mad fast. Just as she was about to read a flash and bright light appeared, blinding everyone one again. As the flash disappeared, standing there was…

Hey guys, it's fjclay823 here. First I want to thank those who has read and reviewed my story. Secondly I want you to choose my next three characters. Who do you want to show up this time. This is my first fic and I truly hope I am doing ok on it. I will try to update a new chapter every day or two. So enjoy review and give suggestions on who you want to see next. Thanks and good night.


	6. Stupid bull

Standing before the gods and demigods was Chiron and Clarisse. They looked startled. Clarisse's spear was in her hands immediately. She didn't not see Chiron and the gods or demigods. Once her eyes landed on her father she quickly bowed.

"Father, why am I here?" She asked Ares. Then she noticed the demigods. "Prissy. What are you doing here?"

Zeus cleared his throat. He explained why we were here. Clarisse listened quietly. She nodded her head and bowed to Zeus.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares." She stepped back as Chiron bowed as well.

"My lords. As I hope you all know who I am, let us continue with the story then." Chiron said. Apollo snapped his fingers and a couch appeared for Clarisse. Annabeth cleared her throat and started reading.

"My mother teaches me bullfighting" she started.

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas. **

"My kind of driving. Nothing is fun if it is not dangerous," Ares said smiling.

"Yet your bike always ends up in my shop and you in the infirmary. You would think you would learn from your lessons, but I guess that requires thinking and we all know how you hate to do that," Hephaestus said. Everyone laughed. Ares was furious.

"Why you crippled fre…," Ares didn't get to finish before he drop to his knees in pain. Hephaestus sent a blast of fire at him. Ares biker pants caught fire. His privates were burnt and Ares was moaning. "Mommy, little brother hurt me," Hera sighed and looked at Poseidon. He shrugged and blasted Ares with a high pressure water blast. Everyone laughed as Ares went flying through the room into a wall.

Apollo flashed to his side and healed him. Ares was passed out. Apollo took a tape recorder and laid it next to Ares. "What? It's for evidence and blackmail collection," Apollo said defending himself.

As if on cue Ares said, "I love my ponies. They are sooo cute." Everyone laughed at this as Apollo sat down. Annabeth regained her composure and kept reading.

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. **

"Are you Grover?" Nico asked.

"Gee what do you think?" Grover replied sarcastically.

"I knew it. I want a pair," Nico said. Grover just face palmed.

**But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo- lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal. **

"I resent that Percy," Thalia said. Grover smiled. "He is a wet petting zoo animal." Thalia continued smirking. Grover's smile left and he grumbled.

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"**

"Kid has a way with words doesn't he," Hermes smiled.

**Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you." **

"And now you sound like a stalker satyr." Dionysus said. When the lipstick hit he glared at Aphrodite.

"Be nice to him," She said. "He is a good goat." Grover blushed and Dionysus rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

**"Watching me?" **

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."**

"Sure are g- man," Percy said. Grover smiled and bumped fists with him.

**"Urn ... what are you, exactly?" **

**"That doesn't matter right now." **

"You should have known by then that Percy's mouth is hardwired to his brain," Annabeth said. Percy pouted but said nothing.

"Actually he wasn't so bad then." Grover said.

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-"**

"I would be careful about what who you say that to, Patricia. Satyr's will trample you hard for that," Dionysus said. He didn't have much time to react to the ice cold water dropping on his head. He glared but knew better than to piss his uncle off.

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!" **

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat. **

"You know, you wouldn't make that noise if you ate more muffins," Demeter said inciting a groan from everyone who heard her. Hades looked at Annabeth and gave her a "please read and shut her up before she starts lecturing us" look.

**"Goat!" he cried. **

**"What?" **

**"I'm a goat from the waist down." **

**"You just said it didn't matter." **

**"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!" **

**"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?" **

"Not myths Percy, they are real," Chiron said as he smiled warmly at his student. Percy smiled back.

"I know too well how real they are," He said. Poseidon looked scared and wondered how many monsters his son has fought.

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?" **

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!" **

"Figures that he would mention that," Thalia said laughing.

"Hey for a long time I thought I was going insane. Leave me alone," Percy pouted.

**"Of course." **

**"Then why-" **

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are." **

"Took a lot of convincing to get you to understand who you are," Chiron said. Percy just grimaced cause at the time he didn't want to believe it.

**"Who I-wait a minute, what do you mean?" **

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail. **

_O wonderful, what is it this time?_ Poseidon thought as he took to Bayer asprin.

**"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety." **

**"Safety from what? Who's after me?" **

**"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions." **

"Grover! Your just going to scare him," Annabeth said. Grover mumbled an apology.

**"Grover!" **

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?" **

"Yes please," Poseidon said.

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird. **

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences. **

"They are close to camp, this is a good thing," Hestia said. She was worried about Perseus and she didn't want him to get hurt.

**"Where are we going?" I asked. **

**"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you." **

**"The place you didn't want me to go." **

"Perseus," Hera said, "You shouldn't say things like that. Your mother is upset enough.

**"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger." **

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn." **

"Very much so young Percy," Apollo said. He like a lot of the gods was warming up to him. And to his insanely funny commentary.

**"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."**

"Thanks Grover, thank you so much for scaring the crap out of me," Percy said. He knew whose string it was. But until he found out he thought it was his.

**"Whoa. You said 'you.'" **

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'" **

**"You meant 'you.' As in me." **

**"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you." **

"Wait, what?" Hermes asked. He was confused now.

**"Boys!" my mom said. **

"Boys exactly," Artemis said approvingly.

"Awww, come on little sister. You know you care about us." Apollo said.

Artemis raised her hand to slap him. Apollo covered his head quickly. That was his mistake. Artemis jumped straight up in front of him. Grabbed her bow. Notched the arrow. And sent it flying. The boxing glove arrow that Artemis shot at him hit dead center. Every male in the room paled, winced and shuddered as Apollo fell to the ground holding his, a small squeak leaving his mouth as he curled up in on himself. Artemis sat down and Annabeth decided it was safer to read on.

On the other side of the room Ares still slumbered. "No mommy, I don't wanna eat my vegetables. I wanna eat my brownies I made."

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm. **

**"What was that?" I asked. **

"A monster? Which one?," Poseidon asked. But he didn't get an answer.

**"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please." **

_Yes please. Just get there safely. _Poseidon frantically thought.

**I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me. **

"Of course. She wasn't there to plan a sleepover," Hades said. He was curious to know what was going on. He never sent the furies out unless it was important.

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded. **

"WHAT?!," Poseidon said. He was really scared for his son now.

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time. **

"Interesting way to put it," Hera said.

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow." **

**"Percy!" my mom shouted. **

**"I'm okay... ." **

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in. **

**Lightning. **

The throne was quiet for a few moments. Zeus started to scoot away nervously knowing his brother was going to try to kill him. The other gods and demigods were watching Poseidon closely. Only Percy and Hades could see the overflowing amount of anger growing in Poseidon. Zeus made it to his throne before all Hades broke loose.

"ZUES. I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS." Poseidon yelled. He summoned his trident and took off after Zeus. It took the combined effort of the gods (minus Ares) and demigods, satyrs and Chiron to stop him.

Percy stood in front of his father to reason with him. "Dad I know your mad. I am too. But do you see me stooping to his level? You allow his and Hades children to cross your domain. You even allow your most bitterest rivals children to do so. You are better than him so please calm down." Percy pleaded. Poseidon looked at the demigods, the gods and then his son. He sighed but said nothing as he sat down.

Zeus calmly sat back down. "I am sorry brother, it wont happen in the future. I have let my pride and power go to my head. Percy has shown me that. From here on out yours and Hades children will have the same priveleges that my kids get from you. I swear on the stix." Thunder boomed sealing his promise.

Poseidon smiled and said, "Thanks brother. That is all me and Hades wanted was respect for our children." Zeus nodded and Hestia smiled. Annabeth let loose a breath and continued.

**That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!" **

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die! **

**Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope. **

"Yup the apocalypse starts when Grover is not hungry," Thalia laughed. Grover pouted but laughed as well.

**"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered. **

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns. **

"You have the worst luck I have ever seen in a demigod," Athena said. She knew who this monster was now. The minotaur.

**I swallowed hard. "Who is-" **

**"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car." **

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking. **

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have**

**to run. Do you see that big tree?" **

"O joy I am mentioned now," Thalia said sarcastically. Zeus was curious but didn't ask.

**"What?" **

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill. **

**"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door." **

**"Mom, you're coming too." **

"She can't child, I am sorry," Hestia said sadly. Percy smiled at her to let her know it was fine.

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean. **

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover." **

_Very loyal to his mother indeed_, Hera thought. She looked at Ares and sighed. She walked to him and shook him awake. He woke up with a start. The look on Hera's face though told him not to start anything. They both sat down to finish the chapter.

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder. **

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns ... **

"The minotaur? Really? How can you have this much bad luck?" Demeter asked. Percy just shrugged his shoulders.

"It gets worse. A lot worse," He warned his father. Poseidon sighed sadly. This was the fate of his son.

**"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line." **

**"But..." **

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please." **

**I got mad, then-mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull. **

"Slow much?" Nico asked. Thalia slapped him though and Nico pouted.

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom." **

**"I told you-" **

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover." **

"I love your loyalty to your mother Percy. It's so cute." Aphrodite squealed. Percy smiled at the compliment as Annabeth glared at her.

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

"Ok grover, you are going on a diet," Thalia said.

"I am a vegetarian, what kid of diet can I go on?" Grover said indignantly.

Thalia smiled and replied. "The nothing but actual vegetables. No tin cans, no furniture, no bark. Just real human food." Grover shuddered at the thought.

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass. **

"I'll send your campers some hi tech lawn mowers Chiron," Hephaestus said. Demeter smiled in approval.

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear-**

Nico opened his mouth to comment on this but Thalia clamped her hand over his mouth. "Don't say anything stupid, Nico, Lord Poseidon looks like he is about to have a heart attack." She warned him.

**I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders. **

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

"You child have some weird comparisons," Artemis said. Percy shrugged and said.

"My comparisons are weird, true. But a lot better than Apollo's poetry for sure."

"That's right," Apollo said. He thought about what Percy just said and frowned. "Wait a minute. My poems aren't bad." Artemis and the others were laughing though. Apollo's words were lost in the noise.

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real. **

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-" **

**"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you." **

Athena smiled. "Your mother is an exceptionally bright woman. Tell her next time you see her that she has my blessing." Percy was shocked.

"Yes my lady. I will." Was all he could say.

**"But he's the Min-" **

**"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."**

"Good Sally, beat it into him. Otherwise it won't have any effect." Thalia said. She blushed as she realized she was talking to a book.

**The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred yards uphill at least. **

**I glanced behind me again. **

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away. **

"He goes by smell and hearing son, his sight is terrible." Poseidon said. Athena was shocked cause she was about to say the exact same thing. _Maybe he does have a working brain under all that kelp, _she thought.

**"Food?" Grover moaned. **

"The one time Grover that I wanted you to be quiet, all you could do was say food," Percy said half heartedly. He knew what was coming up and looked at Hades. Hades saw Percy's look and knew Poseidon was not going to be very friendly soon. He flashed his helm into his hands and got ready to put it on to protect himself.

**"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?" **

**"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough." **

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded. **

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying. **

"Well it isn't a scratch technically, so I didn't mess up," Percy said laughing. Everyone laughed with them.

**Oops. **

That made everyone laugh even harder. Apollo and Hermes were rolling around on the floor.

**"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

"Nice strategy lady, but it wont work forever," Ares said. Every one was shocked cause they didn't think he knew any strategies at all.

**"How do you know all this?" **

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me." **

"It is not selfish to want your son near you my dear." The Queen of the gods said. She admired this woman and sent her a silent blessing.

**"Keeping me near you? But-" **

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill. **

**He'd smelled us. **

"O wonderful," Poseidon grumbled.

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter. **

"Ok fine I'm going on the stupid diet Thalia," Grover said quickly. Thalia smirked and snickered.

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us. **

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said." **

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

"Disgusting," Aphrodite said. She wrinkled her nose and snapped her fingers bringing forth an air freshener. She started spraying as if she could smell the minotaur.

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest. **

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side. **

_Thank you Sally, _Poseidon thought. Percy would be fine with his mother there to guide. Poseidon was sure of it.

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass. **

Poseidon looked in horror at Percy who had tears silently going down his face. Annabeth saw it too and kissed him softly.

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it. The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover. **

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!" **

Everyone saw Hades walk over to Percy. "I am sorry Percy. I too can make sure I wont send anymore creatures after you in the future."

Percy smiled a small smile and said, "Thank you, uncle." Poseidon smiled and calmed down. He knew this would change in the future.

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air. **

_Hades, you better keep your word brother, or I will make you pay, _Hera and Demeter thought at the same time.

**"Mom!" **

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!" **

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone. **

Hades was confused but said nothing. He was too intent on finding out what happened and didn't want to upset his brother.

**"No!"**

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs-the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons. **

"Cue attack mode Percy," Nico said. The tension which was so thick a second ago lifted slightly. Some smiled some laughed. The rest were too worried.

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too. **

**I couldn't allow that. **

"Your personal loyalty is going to get you hurt one day child," Athena said. She liked his flaw but it was the worst one you could get.

**I stripped off my red rain jacket. **

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!" **

"A little work needed on the insults needed. Good try though Percy." Hermes joked.

**"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists. **

**I had an idea-a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment. **

**But it didn't happen like that.**

"It never works the way you want it too does it?" Annabeth teased lightly.

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge. **

**Time slowed down. **

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck. **

"Not bad kid. I like that move you made." Ares said. Everyone was leaning in. They never heard how Percy beat the minotaur.

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out. **

Thalia rubbed her side. Percy saw this and mouthed Sorry.

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils. **

As if on cue, more febreeze was sprayed around by Aphrodite.

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

"Good once you know his weakness it will be easier for you," Athena approved

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off. **

"I am sorry Percy, I wasn't exactly in good condition you know." Grover apologized as Percy teasingly glared at him.

**"Food!" Grover moaned. **

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. **

"Nice try kid, but that would work even for me," Ares said. He didn't know why the demigods started laughing at him afterwards. "What are you laughing at?" Ares demanded. To answer Annabeth read the next sentence.

**The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap! **

Ares scowled and ground his teeth. They were making a fool out of him.

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife. **

**The monster charged. **

_Moron,_ Athena and Annabeth thought.

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage. **

"Amazing. Your son is going to be a great hero brother," Zeus said.

Poseidon smiled finally and said, "He already is."

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart. **

**The monster was gone. **

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. **

The goddesses were crying. Sally so far had seemed a wonderful selfless woman.

**I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go. The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's. **

Annabeth looked at Percy who just smiled. _If only you weren't so cute, _She thought.

**They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be." **

"You knew he was the on for you then Annabeth?" Aphrodite asked.

Annabeth just blushed and replied, "At the time, no. I meant that in a different way." Aphrodite frowned but thought of ways to play with their love lives.

**"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside." **

"That is the chapter," She said. "Who will read next?"

"I will child," Hades said. He reached over and took the book from her.

Before he could start though, Apollo said, "When do we get lunch father," Apollo whined.

"Idiot. There are more important things than your stomach," Artemis said hitting him upside the head. Zeus just sighed.

"After this next chapter we will eat our lunch." He said. He knew how annoying his sons and brothers were when they were hungry. He didn't want to hear the end of it from Hera.

Hades looked down and chuckled. "I play pinochle with a horse."

Hi again guys. I got more reviews. Thanks goes to:

Jason8926

Birdy and

toasterblowup for commenting on my last chapter. I look forward to more reviews and comments. At the end of the next chapter I want to add more characters. Who should I add? Its up to you. My viewers. Let me know who you want to see from. I might just give ya'll a treat tomorrow of 2 chapters.

Again thank you. Please read and review. fjclay823 is signing out.


	7. Pinochle and horses

"I hope you don't see me as a horse anymore child," Chiron said amused. He and Percy smiled at each other. Chiron was a second father to him and he would not let anyone insult him.

"Of course not Chiron. I am not Tyson who thinks of you as a pony man," Percy teased back. Chiron just smiled and chuckled. Annabeth for her part rolled her eyes, and laughed.

Even the gods seemed amused by their teasing. They respected Chiron deeply. Hades though cleared his throat and began.

**I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food. **

"Grover, you know I find it weird that you appeared in those dreams. I had to fight the urge to pet you the next time I saw you." Percy said.

"Ha ha Percy. At that point you were too weak to move." Grover reminded him. Percy smiled as they fist bumped. Hades rolled his eyes and continued.

**I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon. **

"You know seaweed brain. I never spent much time in the infirmary til I met you," Annabeth said. Percy laughed and shrugged.

"You know I don't try to be in there to begin with, wise girl, trouble just finds me." Percy replied. Poseidon paled as Percy said that.

**When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?" **

"You expected him to know something like that? Why?" Thalia said.

"I thought maybe he heard something from Chiron. Don't worry I learned that he doesn't know much to begin with unless I explain it to him," Annabeth said smirking as Percy pouted and everyone laughed at his expression.

**I managed to croak, "What?" **

"Typical answer too," Nico commented.

**She looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? **

Everyone looked at Zeus who gasped. He figured out why he was angry. "Who stole my master bolt?" Zeus asked. Everyone was surprised to see he was calm about it.

"I think it is best to read on my lord," Annabeth said. "So that you don't jump the gun on the issue." Zeus sat back down and grumbled.

"Can you answer this though? Is he blaming me? And did Hades steal it?" Poseidon said. Percy thought for a second.

"To the first question yes. To the second. You have to read to find out." Percy said. Poseidon just sighed and nodded. _Not much changes about him in the future, _Poseidon thought.

**We've only got a few weeks!" **

**"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..." **

**Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.**

Aphrodite giggled. "That's a sure fire way to shut a man up. Good job Annabeth," Aphrodite commended. Annabeth smiled and kissed Percy.

**The next time I woke up, the girl was gone. **

"He misses her. How sweet," Aphrodite cooed. She looked at Percy making him blush.

**A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands. **

Hera smiled at the mention of Argus.

**When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. **

"Well that's a nice change," Poseidon muttered.

**I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt. **

"Apollo, awesome god of medicine at your service," Apollo said with a goofy grin. Percy rolled his eyes and nodded at Artemis. She got the hint and slapped Apollo hard. "Ow sis, that hurt." Apollo said. But he shut up quickly at the look he got from his sister.

**On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry. **

Percy smiled. He like every god and demigod loved nectar. Too bad the demigods couldn't have too much.

**My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it. **

"Wimp," Clarisse muttered. She looked a bit uneasy as Percy smiled at her nicely.

**"Careful," a familiar voice said. **

**Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy. **

"Nope still a goat boy to me," Thalia said causing Grover to frown.

**So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And ... **

"I really wish it was a dream," Chiron said. He felt sorry for Percy.

**"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this." **

Percy smiled. He was glad Grover got him the horn.

**Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap. **

**Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare. **

**"The Minotaur," I said. **

"And of course he doesn't think before talking," Thalia said.

**"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea-" **

"It never is with Percy," Grover said. Percy just laughed.

**"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull." **

**Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?" **

"Everything, buddy. I just wish I had stopped it," Percy said.

Annabeth glared at Percy, "You could not have stopped it from happening seaweed brain. Stop blaming yourself." Percy just nodded admitting defeat as usual.

**"My mom. Is she really ..." **

**He looked down. I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight. **

**My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful. **

Aphrodite and Hera sniffled. They could see so much love for Percy's mother in his eyes.

**"I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm-I'm the worst satyr in the world." **

Thalia glared at Grover. "You are the bravest satyr there is Grover. Never doubt that. Cause if you do then I will get you." Thalia growled. Grover paled and nodded causing the gods to laugh.

**He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole. **

**"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled. **

**Thunder rolled across the clear sky. **

As it was now.

**As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it. **

**Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head.**

Grover glared at Percy. He remembered when the Stolls did that him. "Don't even think about it Perce. Ill do the same to you I did to the Stolls." Grover warned. Percy just smirked. He remembered that and Grover with no hair was kinda creepy looking.

**But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light. **

"Why did you take his mother uncle?" Athena asked. She wanted to know badly that it was driving her mad.

"I don't know. It must have been a bad reason to otherwise I wouldn't have taken her," Hades said.

**I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen. **

"Never in a million years," Percy said angrily.

**I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something. **

"You are too runty, they wouldn't believe it," Clarisse pointed out.

**Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid-poor goat, satyr, whatever-looked as if he expected to be hit. **

**I said, "It wasn't your fault." **

"I stand by that statement then and now," Percy said as Grover opened his mouth to say it was.

**"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you." **

**"Did my mother ask you to protect me?" **

**"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was." **

**"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming. **

**"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips. **

**I recoiled at the taste,**

"Why? Nectar forms to your tastes. How could it not be good?" Artemis said.

"He didn't say it wasn't good," Apollo said. "He probably wasn't expecting the taste." Artemis was about to snap at him, but realized he was right. _3 millennium and he finally outsmarts me, amazing. There might be hope for him, _Artemis thought.

**because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay. **

Thalia smiled. Then frowned. _This is how a mother is supposed to be. Not like my mom. _She thought.

Clarisse though said, "Wimp." Before she got drenched in icy cold water.

**Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted. **

**"Was it good?" Grover asked. **

"Duh goat boy," Hermes said. Everyone laughed as Grover blushed from his comment.

**I nodded. **

**"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty. **

**"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste." **

"Please drink some. One less satyr to deal with." Dionysus said. As soon as he finished he looked up to see two swords, a knife, 2 spears and a trident pointed at his throat. He gulped and said, "Father a little help please."

"No Dionysus, I have seen how you treat demigods and satyrs for centuries. It is about time you're taught a lesson. Next time you disrespect a demigod for the remainder of this book, you will be sent to Hades and Poseidon's realm to serve a punishment from one of them." Zeus said. Dionysus paled pure white. He nodded as everyone put their weapons away. They sat down glaring holes through Dionysus.

**His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered." **

**"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade." **

"Sally's cookies are awesome." Nico said. Poseidon smiled and knew Sally would come back.

**He sighed. "And how do you feel?" **

**"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards." **

"Translation: Good." Thalia said. Thalia knew how powerful Percy was and was glad he was her friend.

**"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff" **

**"What do you mean?" **

"I didn't want my best friend to be a pile of ashes." Grover said sarcastically.

**He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table.**

**"Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting." **

"O good. Let's see how he views Chiron and Dionysus." Hermes said snickering. Somehow he knew this was going to be good.

**The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse. **

**My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go. **

**As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath. **

**We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture**

"It is Greek architecture seaweed brain," Annabeth said smiling.

**-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings. **

"How is Blackjack doing? Nico asked. He liked that Pegasus.

"Last time I saw him he was fine. Still annoying but fine." Percy said.

**Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them. **

"So your first impression of me was that of a regular blonde?" Annabeth asked.

Percy just gulped and replied. "No. I didn't know your name and your hair was the only thing I had to go on. Sorry if I upset you." Percy said the last part quickly. Annabeth smiled at his answer.

**The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park.**

Dionysus started to say something, but remembered his fathers warning. He decided to just sit there and glare as everyone laughed at his expense.

**He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my stepfather. **

"Damn right I can out gamble any mortal." He said.

"Except me," Chiron said smiling. Another few rounds of laughter caused the god of wine to get angry.

**"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... ." **

**He pointed at the guy whose back was to me. **

**First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard. **

**"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.**

"He just said Chiron, Percy," Apollo said.

**The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B. **

_That is both a great and bad idea. It would be simple to pass but the students would think they messed up and eventually mark the wrong answer," Athena thought. _

**"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."**

**He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you." **

"Better clean your act up Dionysus." Zeus grumbled. Dionysus didn't say a word. He was scared of upsetting his father.

**"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice.**

"I wish I could," Dionysus grumbled. Zeus just glared at him and muttered something about a nymph. Hera heard him and glared at Zeus. Zeus seeing this looked at Hades and said to keep reading.

**If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr. **

**"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl. **

Annabeth looked at Percy with her eyebrows raised. He just shrugged and whispered sorry into her ear.

**She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now." **

Hermes sighed and looked at the other gods. _I wish they would claim all their children. Maybe my kids would be comfortable for once, _He thought.

**Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron." **

**She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. **

"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" Annabeth said. Percy looked scared as he waved Hades on hoping for a little help.

**They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight. **

"Good. Nice save seaweed brain." Annabeth said. Percy just let out a breath and thanked the gods he was saved.

**She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that. **

Annabeth laughed at Percy. "Did you really think I would have said something like that? You don't need an ego boost."

Percy pouted, "I know but it would have been nice to hear that."

"Tough cookies," Thalia said sticking her tongue out at him.

**Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep." **

The gods and demigods burst out laughing. Percy flushed with embarrassment, couldn't help but smile. He forgot how he used to drool in his sleep. He tried for years to stop for Annabeth.

**Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her. **

**"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?" **

"Yet again, Percy shows us his great way of braking the ice." Apollo snickered.

**"Not Mr. Brunner," the ex-Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron." **

**"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?" **

"Yes, it does," Dionysus said. He was trying to ignore the reading going on._ It means I am going to torture you when you reach camp._

**Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason." **

**"Oh. Right. Sorry." **

**"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time." **

"Time is the one thing you have to waste Chiron," Demeter pointed out. Everyone jumped since she had been so quiet. "What" She said seeing the faces looking at her. "I have been busy making muffins for everyone." The gods and demigods all groaned.

**"House call?" **

**"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence." **

"You made it sound like you killed him Chiron," Hermes and Apollo snickered. Chiron just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

**I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class. **

**"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked. **

"Yet again another boost to his ego," Nico said. He was soaked as the last word left his mouth.

**Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test." **

**"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?" **

**"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt. **

_Better be afraid of me, _Dionysus thought.

**"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously. **

**"I'm afraid not," I said. **

**"I'm afraid not, sir," he said. **

**"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less. **

"Your not the only one child. I must find a different punishment for him." Zues said.

**"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules." **

"Gladiator fighting was barbaric," Athena said. "How could you allow something like that?"

"It was entertaining to me. Especially when they got drunk." Dionysus replied like it was obvious.

**"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said. **

**"Please," I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?" **

**Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question." **

**The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile. **

"Do not be afraid of him Grover. He wont harm you with me protecting you." Poseidon smiled. Grover smiled back not used to gods being this nice.

**Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer. **

Chiron smiled at Percy, "You still are my star pupil child." Percy smiled back. "Even if you never know the answer" Chiron finished. Percy's smile went away as everyone laughed at him.

**"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?' **

**"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her." **

**"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?" **

Hestia surprised everyone by smacking Dionysus. "Grow a damn heart and you will get some respect." Everyone stared at her shocked. For the most peaceful being on Olympus, Hestia looked mad.

**"What?" I asked. **

**He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did. **

**"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient." **

**"Orientation film?" I asked. **

"No wonder I had a hard time explaining this to him. He didn't watch the video. He had no idea what was going on." Annabeth complained.

**"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"-he pointed to the horn in the shoe box-"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods-the forces you call the Greek gods-are very much alive." **

"Damn right we are. And don't you forget it." Apollo said. Artemis just shook her head and ignored him.

**I stared at the others around the table. **

**I waited for somebody to yell, Not! **

**But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.**

"Do I finally beat you?" Dionysus asked. Chiron shook his head and Dionysus sighed.

**"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?" **

**"Eh? Oh, all right." **

**Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully. **

**"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God." **

**"Well, now," Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical." **

**"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-" **

**"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." **

"How is that smaller? We control nature. Don't you think that would be bigger?" Hera said. Chiron chuckled but said nothing.

**"Smaller?" **

**"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."**

**"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them." **

"You never listen do you?" Zeus asked. He had to admit. Perseus was doing great as a hero with out even knowing who he is.

**And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloudless day. **

**"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you." **

**"But they're stories," I said. "They're-myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science." **

"Careful Percy, some do not like being compared to science," Poseidon said. Percy nodded and reminded himself to listen a bit more in the future.

**"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me." **

"Owww." Dionysus jumped straight up as the hairbrush hit him hard in the eye. Aphrodite just looked away. She hated that Percy was upset. And mean old Dionysus wasn't helping.

**I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut. **

"You need to stand up for yourself satyr. It is the only way you will get respect from anyone," Athena advised him.

"I know Lady Athena. I just don't want to offend any god. That's the last thing I want," Grover replied. But he knew she was right.

**"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?" **

Nico was about to comment on how he had that chance. But one look from everyone and he knew he was better off quiet. They didn't want to ruin the surprise.

**I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate. **

"You need to show how you get him to listen to you so well. It would be very helpful," Annabeth said to Chiron. Chiron just chuckled.

**"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said. **

**"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"**

Chiron grimaced at his words. " I am very sorry Percy. I should have worded that better."

"It's ok Chiron. You meant well." Percy said smiling at the old centaur.

**My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods." **

"You better child. We are your family," Hestia said smiling. She liked Percy's stubborness.

**"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you." **

**Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock." **

**"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'" **

"Very well then Dionysus. Your new punishment will take effect once this is all over." Zeus thundered. Dionysus looked extremely pale at his fathers words.

**He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. **

"Just so you know father, this hasn't happened yet so there is no need to get mad," Dionysus begged his father. Poseidon layed his hand on his brothers shoulders and just shook his head. Zeus sighed and sat back.

**My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up. **

**"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions." **

**Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise. **

**"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!" **

Zeus's glare was so bad, Dionysus hid behind his chair.

**More thunder. **

**Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game. **

**Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."**

"I still don't know why you declared her off limits. You weren't cheating on me with her were you? Hera asked. Zeus for his part was looking every where but at Hera. _I'll catch you husband. Mark my words, _Hera said.

**"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space. **

**"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair." **

"It is fair. All I am telling you to do is to get aquainted with our kids and to protect them." Zeus grumbled.

**Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid. **

**"And ..." I stammered, "your father is ..." **

**"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course." **

**I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master. **

**"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine." **

**Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?" **

**"Y-yes, Mr. D." **

**"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?" **

"HA. He wishes he was. The ugly old drunk." Aphrodite said to Hephaestus. He chuckled.

"No one, mortal or immortal could be as beautiful as you my dear," He said causing her to squeal and kiss her husband.

**"You're a god." **

**"Yes, child." **

**"A god. You." **

Everyone laughed at Dionysus's face. He was angry and hurt. Apollo said, "I know it is hard to believe. But he is a god."

**He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life. **

Dionysus's smile faded as Poseidon said, "If he wants to live he wouldn't."

**"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly. **

**"No. No, sir." **

**The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win." **

**"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me." **

**I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too. **

**"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment." **

Dionysus sighed. Hestia saw his look and said, " If you showed them a little kindness child they wouldn't tease you as they do," Dionysus just smiled at his aunt. She was right and he knew it.

**Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir." **

**Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners." **

"Wont happen ever," Nico said smiling. Till Percy smacked him upside the head.

**He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.**

**"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron. **

**Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus." **

Zeus just sighed. Chiron was right. He would wait till the end to see if he should pass judgement.

**"Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?" **

**"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do." **

"You have to admit, it does sound a bit crazy when said that way," Percy said. Everyone thought about it and nodded in approval.

**"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?" **

**"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West." **

**"The what?" **

**"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know-or as I hope you know, since you passed my course-the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps-Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on-but the same forces, the same gods."**

The gods looked at Chiron and thought the same thing. _We are trying to keep them separate. Why would you say something like that?_

**"And then they died." **

Artemis hit Apollo. When he said ouch Artemis looked at Percy. "While Apollo's brain might not function properly, he is still alive and well," Apollo just pouted. Percy looked embarrassed as everyone chuckled.

**"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either-America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the **

**West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here." **

_Still confuses me though,_ Percy and Nico thought.

**It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club. **

**"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?" **

"Your Percy Jackson, kelp head," Thalia said.

**Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down. **

**"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate." **

The demigods laughed at that as Grover explained. "Chiron you love chocolate. Adore isn't a good enough description." Chiron blushed. He didn't think people saw it that well.

**And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.**

"You scared the daylights out of me you know that right?" Percy said. Chiron laughed. He liked scaring the new kids like that. It was refreshing.

**I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.**

**"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers." **

"Well that's it for this chapter. Lets get some food and rest for a bit." Hades said , setting the book down. He stood up as did everyone else. They walked into the kitchen area and started preparing their lunches.

All of a sudden a siren went of in the throne room. Everyone rushed in real quick to find Apollo hanging from his feet. He dangled over Hermes chair. A bag of candy right below him. Everyone laughed as Hermes handed a dozen drachma's to Artemis. Hermes had planned this and Artemis helped.

"Care to let me down from here?" Apollo asked. But Hermes shook his head and laughed louder.

"We like you like this better brother," Artemis said. She would have said more but just then an arrow flew over their heads and cut the rope Apollo was swinging from. Apollo landed hard on his head. The gods and demigods whirled around to see 5 new demigods standing there. "Lord Mercury why is lord Apollo tied up?" The archer said. The demigods were confused. _Why are they using Hermes Roman name? _Annabeth thought. Zeus looked scared for a moment. But he realized the fates brought them here.

Zeus flashed to his Roman form and said, "Present yourselves demigods"

A small girl stepped forward. She looked to be about 13. "Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto." She stepped backed.

"Frank Zhang, Son of Mars," the kid with the bow said.

Next a tall scrawny kid with blonde hair, " Octavian, legacy of Apollo and auger." He stepped back.

"Reyna, Daughter of Bellona, Preator of the 12th legion" Reyna said

The last boy stepped forward, I am Jason Grace, Preator of the 12th legion and son of Jupiter" He said

Well guys another chapter posted. I hope you enjoyed. I brought the Romans here so they could get to know their Greek allies. I will bring Piper and Leo and the Stolls soon. And Katie too. 

To 

Paradiseisland101, Niskayuna, Brackenfern, birdy, F.A.L.T.U., allen r and Anime Princess. Thank you all for the great reviews and tips. Yes I will do tratie, jasper, frank/ hazel. Thank you all and good night. 

P.S. I am getting you two chapters tomorrow. I was helping in the kitchen all day today so I didn't have time for the second chapter.


	8. A lunch and a problem

To say the gods were nervous would be an understatement. They didn't know how they would explain this to the demigods. But before they could speak Thalia broke the ice.

"Jason? It's me Thalia. I'm your sister." Thalia said. She looked ready to collapse at any moment. Jason looked at her with surprise and shock.

"Thalia? It is you. I can't believe it. What you doing here in New Rome?" Jason asked. Annabeth was watching the entire time and her eyes shot up. _Roman demigods?_ She looked at Chiron meaningfully. He just nodded gravelly confirming her suspicions.

"New Rome? This is Olympus little brother," Thalia said. Jason looked a little miffed at the younger brother statement but disturbed at the Olympus part. Before he could respond though the wiry boy spoke up.

"Who are you people. You should introduce yourselves to us, since we did for you." Octavian said. He had his eyes narrowed and suspicious. The Greek demigods looked at each other and thought about it. Percy just shrugged and motioned for them to start.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares," Clarisse said. The wiry boy, Octavian, looked like he was having an ulcer.

"Grover Underwood, Satyr and Lord of the Wild," Grover said proudly. Hazel looked a little pale and thought, _I hope he isn't like Don._

"Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades and Ghost king. And Ambassador of Pluto," As he finished up every demigod looked at him. Hazel though perked up and smiled at her brother.

Thalia stepped forward, "Thalia Grace Daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant of Artemis and Jason's older sister."

Annabeth stepped up and said, "Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena and Architect of Olympus." Octavian muttered something about not needing an architect. Percy heard him and glowered at Octavian. He had a feeling he was not going to like him.

Percy stepped forward, "Perseus Jackson. Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus." To say the Roman demigods were shocked would be an understatement. Octavian stepped forward and said.

"I knew it. I knew they were filthy Greeks," Octavian snarled. The others held their weapons uncertainly. They heard a lot of bad things about the Greeks. But they doubted Octavian's words abut them being savages. Reyna spoke up for the first time.

"Please forgive Octavian, he doesn't know when to shut up." She said. "Nor does he have the brain to realize that they could easily shut him up." Everyone laughed as Octavian's turned red from anger.

He pulled his dagger out and pointed at Annabeth. Percy growled bringing riptide out and stepping in front of Annabeth. "How sweet. The poor Greeks rely on others to help them."

"Put your knife away Octavian. We are here as guest's to the gods. We will not attack their Greek children." Jason said.

"They are weak. And I will prove it," Octavian said. He charged at Percy. The gods saw this and were shocked that he attacked unprovoked. Poseidon was about to stop him but thought it would be better if Percy did. The Greeks will have to earn the Romans respect. Otherwise it will always be fighting.

The demigods backed up from Percy. They laughed as Octavian attacked. He wasn't a warrior. That much could be seen. Percy took only ten seconds before he had Octavian on the floor with riptide at his neck and Octavian's knife on the other side of the room.

"Attack us again, Octavian and the gods wont be able to protect you. Understand?" Percy said. Octavian glared at him but gulped and nodded. Jason and Reyna were furious and Hazel and Frank were laughing hard. The Greek demigods were glaring at Octavian. Percy put riptide away. Octavian scrambled up.

The gods let loose a breath they were holding. Apollo walked forward and said, "Whose hungry?" The tension lightened and everyone muttered sure.

"Come children, we will explain everything that is going on over lunch." Hestia said. Everyone filled into the lunch room and sat down. Hestia whipped up a wonderful family meal and everyone sat down. As they were eating Athena explained about the two sides of the gods. The civil war. The pact to keep the two camps separate. And why they were all here.

"So let me get this straight. We are here reading the books of Percy's adventure? To change the future to be better? And to get the two camps to respect and not kill each other?" Hazel asked. Athena smiled at Hazel's intuitive questions.

"Exactly child." Poseidon said. "The fates are giving us a chance. We do not want to mess up."

"There is a bit more though." Percy said. Everyone looked at him confused. "Annabeth and I spoke about this last night. I have only been on 5 quest's. There are about ten books in the chest. We think that this isn't just my adventures. I think now that there are more adventures involving the Romans and the Greeks."

Everyone gaped at him. Now that they thought about it, they knew he was right.

"Well then there is only one way to find out. Are you done eating everyone," Zeus said. Everyone nodded and they made their way to the throne room where there was more couches and chairs waiting for them. The sat down and Zeus grabbed the book. He read outloud the chapter's name.

"I become supreme lord of the bathroom." He raised his eyebrows at Percy. Annabeth laughed and Clarisse glared.

"I take it all the chapters are going to be this weird." Frank said. Everyone nodded and laughed as Percy blushed.

Zeus began to read…


	9. One bathroom supreme my lord

Zeus was about to start reading, but Octavian sneered at Percy. "Is that all your good at? Lord of nothing good, is more like it."

Percy turned to him, his eyes a poisonous green that the Greek demigods have seen only once. The fight with Kronos. Octavian paled at Percy's glare. "You are one to talk Octavian. Your not even an actual half blood. You have no powers that I have seen as of yet. Our oracle is a mortal and she posesses more powers than you do. So shut and let lord Zeus read." Percy said this calmly. Everyone though could hear the subtle warning in his voice. Octavian shut up promptly and turned his head elsewhere. Apollo just sighed and shook his head at his grandson.

**Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front.**

Chiron blushed and surprising everyone said sarcastically, "Thanks a lot child." Percy for his part blushed rose red and apologized.

**We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him." **

"I think that was Will Solace," Percy said. Apollo perked hearing his sons name.

**Most of the campers were older than me. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something.**

"Yeah right, they were wanting to see what the hype was about," Annabeth said.

"I still don't see it," Octavian said. He was quickly slapped upside his head by Hazel. Octavian glared at her but thought better of saying something when Frank glared back fiercely.

**I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched. **

"Yeah Percy, everyone was watching you," Nico pointed out.

They only thought I was cool cause I defeated the minotaur with no weapons or training." Percy shot back. He hate the attention he got from it.

**"What's up there?" I asked Chiron. **

**He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic." **

**"Somebody lives there?" **

**"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing." **

"Just the Oracle," Annabeth said nonchalantly.

"I still don't know why she wont change bodies. I just don't get it." Apollo said. He didn't see the guilty look on Hades face nor the grieving look on Hermes.

**I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain. **

"Remember when she delivered that prophecy by the lake?" Nico said.

Percy glared at Thalia, "Of course. I almost drowned the camp by the time she showed up."

"I still blame you. You should have waited at the flag." Thalia retorted. Zeus sensing things would get worse kept reading.

**"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced.**

**"Lots to see." **

**We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. **

**Chiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort." **

Demeter smiled at Chiron. "Thank my daughters for that will you. And tell them to eat more muffins." She said. Hades gave Zeus a please read look.

**He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead. **

"Where are my kids at?" Demeter said. Chiron just shrugged. He didn't know why they weren't there.

"Sword fighting class my lady." Chiron said.

**I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music. I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D. **

"At first no he couldn't, but he got a lot better as he got older." Percy said. Grover blushed at the compliment.

"Not until he got with Juniper. She gave him lessons." Thalia smirked as everyone laughed at Grover. His blush deepened.

**"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really." **

Hazel looked at Percy and said, "You're a good friend Percy. You have my respect." The gods smiled at that. They hoped the others would be able to do that.

**Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. **

Chiron looked at Grover and smiled big. "You did just that Grover. I am proud of you."

"Thank you Chiron." Grover said happily.

**To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill." **

"But he did that," Jason said.

**"But he did that!" **

"O gods my brother is like Percy. It is so scary." Thalia said. Percy just rolled his eyes and sent a little water to soak Thalia.

**"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part." **

"Grover has more bravery than the entire council does," Nico snarled. Thalia, Percy and Annabeth all agreed. Even Clarisse nodded. Grover smiled at his friends til Percy spoke up.

"That is till Tyson comes around. He is deathly afraid of the big guy," Percy teased getting a huf from Grover.

**I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble. **

**"He'll get a second chance, won't he?" **

"Not one word you guys, I already know what you will say." Grover said.

Thalia smiled. "You know it is true though."

**Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... ." **

**"How old is he?" **

**"Oh, twenty-eight." **

**"What! And he's in sixth grade?" **

"That must really suck," Nico said.

Jason just shrugged. "I have never been to school before so I wouldn't know."

**"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years." **

**"That's horrible." **

"Quite. Try looking like your 12 when you are 26." Grover said. The girls looked at him like he was crazy.

**"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career... ." **

"To be honest Grover, I had my doubts about you," Chiron said. "But you proved me wrong time and time again. I am very proud of you." Grover smiled at that. "Now all there is left is to teach you to lie." He smiled at Grover to let him know he was teasing.

**"That's not fair," I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"**

"Yes, it was," Grover said a little downcast. Thalia glared at him. A small bolt of lightning made Grover jump and his hair stand on ends.

"It was my choice Grover. I don't want to have to tell you again." Thalia said angrily.

**Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?" **

"You need to work on changing subjects Chiron," Hermes said smiling. Chiron said nothing but just bowed his head.

**But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea-a tiny, hopeful fire-started forming in my mind. **

"So should I expect some company Perseus," Hades said evilly. Percy just glared but said nothing.

_Keep it up father. In a few books you won't be smiling, _Nico said.

**"Chiron," I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..." **

**"Yes, child?" **

**"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?" Chiron's expression darkened. **

"You are crazy Greek. You cant survive a trip to the underworld." Octavian said. He shut up pretty quick when Thalia and Jason both hit him with lightning.

**"Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind." **

"How did you know my mother was taken and not killed?" Percy asked.

"Mr. D told me what happened after Grover explained everything on the hill." Chiron said.

"But Grover was passed out," Annabeth said. "How did you know?" She asked Grover.

"I woke up a little and saw Sally get taken," Grover replied.

**"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?" **

**"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods." **

"The wonderful art of Chiron subject changes everybody." Apollo said.

**As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans. **

**Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed." **

**"Stocked with what?" I asked. "Armed with what?" **

**"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?" **

"Why haven't you given him riptide yet?" Poseidon asked.

"At the time he was still unclaimed and no one knew you were his father." Chiron replied.

**"My own-?" **

**"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later." **

**I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much),**

"Neither does Blackjack for that matter." Percy said. Everyone smiled at the name hat knew who he was. The roman demigods looked confused till Nico told them.

"Blackjack is Percy's Pegasus. He is one cool horse." The Roman demigods smiled and thought about Reyna's Pegasus Scipio.

**the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights. **

**"Sword and spear fights?" I asked. **

**"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall." **

"You do need to work on changing subject Chiron," Demeter said. "Maybe you should do some plow work. It helps build character."

"How does plowing a field help with changing subjects better?" Frank asked. He didn't see Hades shaking his head at him. Too late though. A bowl of muffins appeared in his lap.

"You will see young hero. Please enjoy those muffins. My treat." Demeter said. Frank picked of up cautiously.

"Umm thank you lady Ceres." He said as every one snickered at him.

**Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls. **

**"What do you do when it rains?" I asked. **

**Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird. "We still have to eat, don't we?" I decided to drop the subject. **

"I asked the same question and got the same response. It is a valid question," Nico pointed out.

**Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen. **

"What is that supposed to mean?" The Olympians asked.

"When you look at them without really understanding who you are, the cabins look weird," Percy said. Annabeth smiled at his ability to upset the gods without trying.

**Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed). **

"Sounds better than camp Jupiter," Frank said. The others nodding in agreement.

**In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. **

"You noticed me? Yay," Hestia said happily. The elder gods and goddesses smiled widely at their sister. They all loved Hestia so much.

**The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks. **

Zeus and Hera smiled happily at their cabins being mention. Thalia hated that cabin and Zeus didn't understand why she wasn't smiling.

**"Zeus and Hera?" I guessed. **

**"Correct," Chiron said. **

**"Their cabins look empty." **

"My cabin is always empty. Your cabin should be empty, but alas it never will be," Hera said. Zeus looked down guiltily and Hades looked and Poseidon. Hades smiled and made a whipping motion. Poseidon laughed silently as Zeus quickly continued.

**"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two." **

**Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty? **

"I am a maiden. Hera never had demigod kids and those two idiots didn't keep it in their pants like they swore to," Artemis said. Every laughed at the two brothers and they glared at Artemis.

**I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three. **

Poseidon smiled at his son. Percy seeing this smiled back.

**It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor.**

"It isn't high and mighty cause I have somewhat of a smaller ego," Poseidon said. Zeus glared at his brother but said nothing. _It is true. I am glad Zeus is getting picked on besides me. _Hades thought to himself.

**I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!" **

**Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy." **

"I guess I was mistaken boy," Chiron said, "Enjoy your cabin and all its grandeur." Percy smiled and nodded.

**Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers. **

**Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red. **

"Your damn right I am stronger punk," Clarisse growled. Percy laughed and said.

"Sure you are Clarisse. Keep telling yourself that." He said sarcastically. He respected her strength.

**I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs," I observed. **

**"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here." **

"I love those crazy party ponies Chiron," Apollo laughed.

**"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..." **

**He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yes, Percy, I am." **

**"But, shouldn't you be dead?" **

Reyna just looked at him. "You can't control your tongue can you?" She asked wondering why the gods haven't blasted him.

"You have no idea whatsoever," Thalia said before Percy could reply. She and Reyna laughed ignoring Percy's glare.

**Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed." **

"I think you will always be needed Chiron," Athena said.

**I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list. **

**"Doesn't it ever get boring?" **

**"No, no," he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring." **

**"Why depressing?" **

**Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again. **

Everyone looked at him hoping for the answer but Chiron shook his head.

**"Oh, look," he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us." **

**The blond girl**

"The blond girl? How can you not know my name?" Annabeth said.

Percy blushed. "I am terrible with remembering names. You know that."

**I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven. **

**When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled. **

"I was," Annabeth said triggering another round of snickers.

**I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book. **

"It was seaweed brain," Annabeth said.

**"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?" **

**"Yes, sir." **

**"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home." **

"I didn't last long in that cabin," Percy said. Hermes sighed. _Is it so hard to claim your children? _Hermes thought.

**Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ? **

"It's a caduceus," Hermes whined.

**A caduceus. **

Hermes smiled.

**Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. **

**Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully. **

**"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner." **

**He galloped away toward the archery range. **

**I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore.**

"Ego alert," Nico laughed. Thalia and Annabeth laughed at Percy who just pouted.

**They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools. **

**"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." **

**So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.**

"Naturally, you make a fool out of yourself a lot," Ares said. He promptly was hit with a shoe thrown by Aphrodite.

**There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything. **

**Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven. **

**"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked. **

"I think that was Chris," Annabeth said. Clarisse smiled at her boyfriends name and Aphrodite, seeing the smile squealed happily.

**I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined." **

**Everybody groaned. **

Hermes did too. "Can't you claim your children please. My cabin doesn't have any more room." The gods with demigod children snapped their fingers.

"That's another 14 more campers in your cabin claimed Hermes. The rest are your kids and those of the minor gods." Zeus said. Hermes smiled gratefully at his father.

**A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there." **

Annabeth felt Percy stiffen next to her. She rubbed his arm to calm him down.

**The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash. **

Annabeth sighed. _Why did you have to join Kronos?_

**"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now." **

**"For now?" I asked. **

**"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers." **

**I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves. **

"Smart move Jackson. You might keep it for a while." Hermes smiled mischievously.

**I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets. **

**"How long will I be here?" I asked. **

**"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."**

**"How long will that take?" **

"Hopefully not too long uncle," Hermes hinted. Poseidon smiled and snapped his fingers. The same trident appeared over Percy's head. Hermes just laughed and rolled his eyes at his uncles antics.

**The campers all laughed. **

**"Come on," Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court." **

**"I've already seen it." **

**"Come on." **

"Good job Annie. Only known him ten minutes and already bossing him around." Thalia said as they smiled at each other.

**She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me. **

**When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that." **

"He didn't exactly do anything wrong Annabeth," Frank said.

"I know but even then I liked to giving him a hard time," She replied.

**"What?" **

**She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one." **

"Ah but he is the one Annabeth." Aphrodite cooed making Percy and Annabeth blush hard. _I am trusting you son of the sea. Don't mess up, _Athena thought watching them.

**"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-" **

**"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?" **

"To get killed by a monster?" Jason said incredulously. Annabeth blushed thinking of how she wanted that so badly then. Now she wants it no more.

**"To get killed?" **

**"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" **

**I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..." **

**"Yes." **

**"Then there's only one." **

**"Yes." **

**"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..." **

"Ok that is that isn't even a number, but you do have a point. Trust me we wish it wasn't that way," Athena said looking sad at the fact they cant truly kill monsters.

**"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die." **

"Gee that clears that issue up," Thalia said sarcastically.

**"Oh, thanks. That clears it up." **

**"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form." **

**I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-" **

"Yes Perseus. Alecto is very mad now," Hades said smiling evilly. Everyone shivered except Nico who smiled back.

**"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad." **

**"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?" **

**"You talk in your sleep."**

**"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?" **

"Yup they are. And my teachers too." Nico said.

**Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all." **

"Why wouldn't you talk about them? They are great to be around," Hades said.

"Because they try to kill everyone beside Nico. Duh," Thalia said snickering as Hades face flushed with anger.

**"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." **

"It isn't so simple child," Chiron said. "I wish I could do something but I cant."

**I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent." **

**She stared at me, waiting for me to get it. **

"You could have been there for weeks Annie," Thalia said. Percy glared at her before dousing her with cold water again. "D-d-d-damn it Jackson. Dry m-m-me of-f-f," She shivered. Percy smiled and dried her of laughing. He stopped laughing abruptly as Thalia shocked. Smoke drifted of Percy's clothes as everyone laughed at the two.

**"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to." **

There was a moment of silence for Sally.

**"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad." **

**"He's dead. I never knew him." **

"Very much alive right here son," Poseidon said sarcastically.

**Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead, Percy." **

**"How can you say that? You know him?"**

Annabeth smiled at Poseidon and simply said, "I do now."

**"No, of course not." **

**"Then how can you say-" **

**"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us." **

"You make it sound like he is an alien greek," Octavian said. He was quickly doused with water then shocked happily by Jason and Thalia. Octavian crumpled to the ground shaking hard. Everyone snickered as Apollo reluctantly healed him.

**"You don't know anything about me." **

**"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them." **

"Creepy," Nico said.

**"How-" **

**"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too." **

"Weird," Frank said.

**I tried to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?" **

**"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? **

"Stalkerish," Nico and Frank both said. They were promptly hit by Thalia and Hazel.

**That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are." **

"Teachers are not evil Annabeth," Athena said sternly.

"My math teacher tried to kill. Does that not count for evil?" Percy replied. Athena opened her mouth to reply but realized he won that argument. Everyone was shocked about it. To lose an argument was one thing. To lose it to your rivals son was another.

**"You sound like ... you went through the same thing?" **

**"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar." **

**"Ambrosia and nectar." **

**"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood." **

"Sounds a bit racist when you hear it that way," Frank pointed out.

**A half-blood. **

**I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start. **

**Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!" **

"O joy. My humiliation is here," Clarisse muttered leaving most confused by her statement.

**I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets. **

**"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?" **

"I loved that spear. I wish I still had it," Clarisse said glaring at Percy who glared back.

**"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night." **

"You can try Daughter of Ares. But be warned, my children are great fighters," Athena warned her. Ares was furious at Athena. He was about to say something but Zeus caught his eye and the look on his fathers face told him not to.

**''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance." **

"I never did tell you I was sorry for that plan. I am sorry seaweed brain." Annabeth said. Percy just smiled and kissed her.

**"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward me.**

**"Who's this little runt?" **

**"Percy Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares." **

**I blinked. "Like ... the war god?" **

**Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?" **

**"No," I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell." **

"EXCUSE ME. I'LL SHOW YOU AN EMBARESING SMELL." Ares bellowed. As he was about to get up vines wrapped around him tightly and held him in place.

"I'm sure we all want to smell your room Ares, but lets save you the embaressment. Shut up and let father read." Dionysus said. The entire room was silent. Dionysus was the last one they expect to protect a demigod.

"Umm thank you Mr. D," Percy said uncertainly. Dionysus smiled at Percy. But they could tell it was forced. He was trying to redeem himself.

**Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy." **

"Ah a good start to the best frenemies in camp." Nico snickered. The sight of Clarisse glaring at him while sharpening her spear scared him witless.

**"Percy." **

**"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you." **

**"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say. **

**"Stay out of it, wise girl." **

**Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep. **

"That's right. The only way to respect in a hostile enviroment is to fight the better warrior." Reyna said approvingly.

**I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom. **

"Clarisse. I told you to stop doing that a long time before Percy got to camp." Chiron said sternly. Clarisse just nodded unfazed.

**I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking-as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out-that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns. **

"Gods your head is comedy relief," Apollo said as everyone laughed.

**Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there. **

**"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking." **

"And now you know better Clarisse. Too bad you learned the hard way," Annabeth said teasing the war demigoddess.

**Her friends snickered. **

**Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers. **

"I was not," Annabeth said glaring at Percy.

"Yes you were birdbrain," Clarisse said back.

**Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets. I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking, I will not go into that. I won't. **

_He is stubborn just like his father, _Hades thought.

**Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach.**

Poseidon got a good idea of what was about to happen and burst out laughing.

**I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me. **

**I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. **

By this point everyone had joined Poseidon. The Romans too though they eyed Percy warily.

**The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall. **

**She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away. **

Zeus stopped reading to catch his breath. He had been laughing too hard. As he tried to breath he noticed his son about to attack Perseus. Ares was pushed back by the winds Zeus commanded. He glared at his son and Ares sword was flashed away to another room. Zeus sat down and kept reading as everyone stared at Zeus in awe.

**As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off as quickly as it had started. The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock. **

"I am surprise you didn't know who I was then." Percy said.

Annabeth glared at him and said, "For all I knew seaweed brain you were a son of Triton," Percy smiled and kissed her softly. Annabeth's glare wavered and a smile broke out on her face.

**I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing. **

**I stood up, my legs shaky. **

**Annabeth said, "How did you ..." **

**"I don't know." **

"I take it that's a typical answer for him," Hazel said laughing softy.

"Not you too," Percy groaned as every laughed as well.

**We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."**

"You need to learn when to give up child," Chiron said. Clarisse just sighed. She knew he was right.

**I probably should have let it go, but I said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth." **

"Nice comeback Percy. There is hope for you yet," Hermes snickered.

**Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet. **

**Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her. **

"Both." Annabeth said.

**"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?" **

**"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."**

"That's the chapter. Who is reading next?" Zeus asked.

Athena grabbed for the book and said, "I will."

Athena looked at the title and raised her eyebrows at Percy. "My dinner goes up in smokes."

Apollo laughed and said. "Maybe you shouldn't throw your dinner in the fire then." Percy laughed as Artemis hit him.

"Moron, he is talking about the offerings at camp." She said. "Please begin sister." She said to Athena…

_**Here is my second chapter for today like I promised. Enjoy it. Please review if you like it or have any suggestions. Thanks go to: **_

_**Daughter of wisdom and music**_

_**silver heart11doom**_

_**Allen r**_

_**Alleycat993**_

_**Miss sugar unicorn**_

_**And**_

_**bracken fern for reviewing my last chapter.**_

_**Just to point something out. I had a couple reviews asking what happened to baby Percy. In the first chapter at the end before they started reading Poseidon sent him home with a promise to protect him better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More Octavian bashing to come. Same with Ares and Dionysus. Fjclay823 signing out for the night.**_


	10. Burnt food, tasty

_You have a strange way to view things son of Poseidon, _Athena thought. She opened her mouth to start reading but was cut off by a bright light shining in the room in front of everyone.

As the light subsided they saw a woman that the Greek demigods and Poseidon recognized as Sally Jackson. She held a baby version of Percy in her hands. Next to her was Will Solace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Tyson.

Jason jumped up and drew his sword. As did the other Roman demigods. Jason tried to attack Tyson when his strike was blocked by Riptide. Percy looked Jason in the eyes and shook his head. Percy wasn't mad that he attacked. They didn't know Tyson. Percy was about to tell Jason who Tyson was when they heard a deep rumbling sound and felt a small earthquake.

Percy dropped Riptide and turned to Tyson with his arms wide open. There were protests from the Romans. Tyson tackled Percy scooping him in a massive bear hug. "Big brother, it is good to see you again." Percy laughed at Tyson's enthusiasm.

"It is great to see you too Tyson, but can you put me down. You are crushing me." Percy said breathless. Poseidon smiled and realized that Percy had found Tyson in the future. Poseidon turned back to Sally. He walked up to her and said, "Hello again Sally. How have you been?" Aphrodite smiled widely as she saw Sally blush. _You still love each other. _She thought as they hugged.

Zeus cleared his throat. "Please introduce yourselves." He asked nicely and calmly. Hestia smiled at Zeus for his patience and kindness. Will stepped forward and said, "Will Solace, son of Apollo." Apollo smiled at his son.

"Tyson, General of the Cyclops army of Atlantis." Tyson said. The Romans upon hearing this lowered their weapons. They looked at Percy who nodded a big smile on his face.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Oracle of Delphi." Rachel said stepping forward. Apollo heard her and jumped out of his seat. He walked in circles around her as if inspecting her.

"You don't look like a mummy, did you finally pass on?" Apollo said. Rachel just looked at Apollo and simply said.

"Well duh. I am a living breathing person Lord Apollo."

"I like this Oracle. She is a fiery one," Apollo said chuckling. He sat down again and waved Sally forward. She looked at Poseidon worried. Poseidon just nodded and assured her.

"Lord Zeus, my name is Sally Jackson. This here is Percy Jackson. He is Poseidon's son." She said the last part scared. Poseidon had told her everything from the oath to the prophecy. Annabeth and Thalia perked up at this and walked towards Sally.

"Percy you really were a cute baby," Thalia said. Sally looked around and saw Percy from the future standing there smiling at her.

"May I hold him Mrs. Jackson?" Annabeth asked. Sally smiled and handed the baby to Annabeth. She smiled at baby Percy who woke up and started playing with her hair. Sally walked over to Percy and looked at him with tears of joy in her eyes.

"You have grown to be a fine young man Percy. Why are we all here?" She asked. Percy sighed. He did not want his mom to ever hear about his adventures but knew he had no choice. He explained everything to her and she listened. She paled a little to hear that Hades kidnapped her. She just nodded when he was done and sat down on the couch with the others that jus arrived. Athena cleared her throat and began again.

**Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. **

"No thanks to the Stolls, and their big mouths," Clarisse said as everyone snickered at her.

**Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet. **

"You are lucky you're adorable, otherwise I would be mad at you," Annabeth said as baby Percy giggled happily.

**She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), **

Grover bleated and glared at Percy. "You would think that you would know Pan by now. After all we were there." Grover said sadly. Annabeth, Nico, Rachel, Tyson and Percy all bowed their heads in respect. _They found my son?_ Hermes thought.

**and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough.**

"Why do you want me to send my son there when he gets older?" Sally asked Poseidon incredulously.

"I know it might not sound safe mom but it is the safest place for me to be," Percy said. Sally sighed deciding not to argue with her son. He was stubborn at 2 years old. She didn't want to see how bad he was at 16.

**Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins. **

**"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."**

"Way to welcome him to camp Annabeth," Nico remarked sarcastically. Annabeth blushed as Thalia hit Nico.

**"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." **

**"Whatever." **

"He was only trying to apologize," Frank pointed out.

"I wasn't exactly happy with him at the time. I am too prideful sometimes," Annabeth said.

**"It wasn't my fault."**

"Yes it was," All the demigods said. Percy just blushed in embarrassment.

**She looked at me skeptically, and I realized it was my fault. I'd made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. I didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing. **

"One with the plumbing?" Apollo said slowly. "I don't get it."

Artemis sighed and looked at him. "It means he used his powers to control the water and he didn't know it was him."

"Ok. I get it now," Apollo said. Artemis knew he didn't understand but she let it go.

**"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said. **

**"Who?" **

**"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron." **

"I am pretty sure Rachel isn't a what," Hazel said.

"This was before Rachel became our oracle." Percy said.

**I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once. **

"Why would we give you a straight answer? It takes all the fun out of waiting for you to understand the signs." Thalia said. Percy and Annabeth both blushed. They knew she was talking about their relationship.

**I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend. **

"You are to them, though some might not like you. Most of my children have treated river spirits badly." Poseidon said.

**I didn't know what else to do. I waved back. **

**"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."**

"Is that jealousy I hear Annabeth?" Aphrodite asked. Annabeth blushed as Thalia laughed and Sally smiled. She could tell by the way she held her baby that she was protective.

**"Naiads," I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now." **

"Everything you have seen and heard the last three days and it's the naiads waving at you that makes you want to go home?" Will asked disbelieving. Percy laughed with everyone as he pulled Annabeth and his baby self towards him. _They must be dating. I am happy he found someone nice, _Sally thought.

**Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us." **

**"You mean, mentally disturbed kids?" **

"Well we already know Octavian is, and of course there is Nico too," Thalia said.

"I am not disturbed mentally." Octavian yelled. His mistake cause when Thalia turned around, Nico, Percy, Jason, and Hazel turned there death glares on Octavian all at once. The auger quickly apologized and backed up until he hit something rather large.

"I'm sorry," He said to Tyson who smiled his big toothy grin causing said auger to wet himself and pass out.

"Oops," Everyone laughed at Tyson's childish nature and at Octavian. The so called tough guy whimpered in fear as he lay unconscious.

**"I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human." **

**"Half-human and half-what?" **

**"I think you know." **

**I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad. **

Sally and Poseidon smiled at each other.

**"God," I said. "Half-god." **

"Ding ding ding. Correct. What do you have for him Hermes," Apollo said in his best game show host voice.

Hermes handed Percy a bag of candy. "Well Apollo, Percy is now the winner of that bag of candy you tried to take from me." Apollo glared at Hermes as everyone laughed at their antics.

**Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians." **

**"That's ... crazy." **

"Well with everything said so far it does sound a bit crazy," Nico said. Percy smiled at Nico sticking up for him. "Then again Percy is crazy," Nico finished getting a glare from Percy making him flinch.

**"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?" **

"Some people would think they would. But it wont ever stop so why bother." Hera said putting a guilt trip on Zeus.

**"But those are just-" I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth.**

"Actually I was wrong. It only took Percy 5 years," Chiron praised him. Percy mumbled a thanks and turned bright red.

**"But if all the kids here are half-gods-" **

"**Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods." **

**"Then who's your dad?" **

"You should learn to phrase your questions better Percy," Sally said. Annabeth smiled at Sally who smiled back.

**Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject. **

"I am sorry for being mean to you about all that," Annabeth said. "You were right I was wrong."

Thalia gasped loudly. "You just said that Percy was right and you were wrong? The apocalypse is around the corner as we speak." Thalia started laughing until she was hit with two pillows in the face leaving feathers in her hair.

**"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history." **

**"He's human." **

**"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?" **

"Actually he isn't being sexist Annabeth. The goddess's children aren't really that prominent in our history." Athena said. Then blushed as she realized she defended him.

**"Who's your mom, then?" **

**"Cabin six." **

**"Meaning?" **

**Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle." **

Athena stopped for a second to smile at Annabeth then kept reading.

**Okay, I thought. Why not? **

"Ok remember I thought everyone was playing a really elaborate prank on me and I didn't want to believe it." Percy defended himself quickly.

**"And my dad?" **

**"Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows." **

**"Except my mother. She knew." **

"I did know. He didn't have to tell me I saw it right away." Sally said smiling.

**"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities." **

**"My dad would have. He loved her." **

"He still does very much," Aphrodite squealed causing Poseidon to blush heavily and Sally to smile at him.

**Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens. **

**"You mean sometimes it doesn't?" **

The gods looked down and actually looked a bit guilty.

**Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us." **

"Do you all think that?" Zeus asked. He was afraid of the answer.

"Percy looked at him and said, "You do get better Lord Zeus. But it takes a big event to get you to understand that.

**I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better. **

Apollo opened his mouth to say something but a look from Athena shut him up quick. Athena might not like it but she knew the boy was right.

**"So I'm stuck here," I said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?" **

**"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. **

"Not a real force? Muffins are extremely powerful and my kids eat a lot of them," Demeter said proudly. Demeter brought forth a muffin and was about to give it to Annabeth when some black fire hit the muffin incinerating it.

"I know that muffins can't stand against fire," Hades smirked. His smile faltered as his chair was turned into a pile of wheat. Hades fell onto his butt and was whipped by the stalks of wheat.

**The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that." **

**"So monsters can't get in here?" **

**Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside." **

"That came to a stop after the hellhound incident," Chiron assured everyone.

**"Why would anybody want to summon a monster?" **

**"Practice fights. Practical jokes." **

**"Practical jokes?" **

"That's a very cruel joke," Sally said. The gods and demigods agreed.

**"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm." **

**"So ... you're a year-rounder?" **

**Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring.**

Athena smiled at the mention of Fredrick's ring but frowned wondering what happened to make him that way.

**"I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college." **

**"Why did you come so young?" **

**She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business." **

"You know he only wanted to help you," Hephaestus said scaring everyone around him.

"I know but at the time I didn't want to hear anything about my father. I wasn't on the best terms with him." Annabeth said.

**"Oh." I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?" **

"Wouldn't recommend it at the moment considering your uncles are trying to kill you," Hermes said. Sally glared at Zeus and Hades so fiercely that the two gods squirmed in their sleep. The rest of the beings in the room stared at Sally in awe.

**"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless ..." **

**"Unless?" **

**"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ..." **

**Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well. **

**"Back in the sick room," I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-" **

**"Ambrosia."**

"Learn you daily demigod needs Percy. It will help you survive." Apollo said smiling.

**"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice." **

"Still don't know how you thought he would know." Thalia muttered.

**Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?" **

"I never know what's going on. I just for you to tell me." Percy said lovingly. Annabeth smiled widely.

**"Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?" **

**She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal." **

"Do you Greeks get to come here often?" Reyna asked. She wondered why the gods didn't pay as much attention to them.

**"You've been to Olympus?" **

"More time than most people," Annabeth smiled.

**"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others-we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council." **

**"But... how did you get there?" **

**"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at me like she was sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right?" **

"How could you expect him to have all this info? Especially when he just found out whom he was." Sally said.

Annabeth blushed. "Honestly I thought he knew some of who he was."

**"Oh, sure." As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out. **

**"Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be **

**trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something." **

"Sorry to disappoint you Annie, he doesn't know much unless it deals with water." Thalia said teasing Percy. Percy just smiled because it was true.

**I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions. **

**"I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem ..." **

**I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan. **

Annabeth laughed. "It's true. I was drawing a battle plan for capture the flag."

**Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my minotaur horn. **

**The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. **

**"Found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store." **

"The only nice thing he did for him before he turned," Nico whispered angrily. Thalia was sad.

**I couldn't tell if he was kidding about the stealing part. **

"Nope not one bit," Hermes said proudly.

**I said, "Thanks." **

**"No prob." Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough **

**first day?" **

**"I don't belong here," I said. "I don't even believe in gods." **

"I do now," Percy said quickly.

**"Yeah," he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in **

**them? It doesn't get any easier." **

**The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything. **

_I wish he could have. Things would have been a lot different, _Thalia thought.

**"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked. **

**He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut me, but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes." **

**"The wing-footed messenger guy." **

"Not my worst description. But not the best either," Hermes frowned a little.

**"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors." **

"Maybe cause I don't get a choice," Hermes said glaring at the other gods.

**I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind. **

**"You ever meet your dad?" I asked. **

**"Once." **

"He did? Was it a good meeting?" Thalia and Annabeth shook their heads sadly.

**I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had anything to do with how he got his scar. **

**Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other." **

"Liar," Clarisse whispered furiously. She hated what Luke did to Chris.

**He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him-even if he was a counselor-should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day. **

"I showed you around the entire afternoon," Annabeth said."True but you didn't exactly seem happy about it at all," Percy said. Annabeth blushed because it was true.

**I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth ... twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"**

**Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies." **

"We all hate prophecies," Every demigod said.

**"What do you mean?" **

**His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... somebody special came to the camp." **

"And you got me too," Percy said smiling. Sally smiled as well. She couldn't help but like their relationship.

**"Somebody special?" **

**"Don't worry about it, kid," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime." **

**The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I'd never heard one before. **

"Son of the sea god Percy." Poseidon smiled at his son.

**Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!" **

**The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down. **

**We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods- and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. **

"Were you checking out the nymphs Percy," Aphrodite asked.

Percy turned red quickly and yelled, "No I was not. I was shocked about them coming out of the trees." Annabeth laughed at him making him turn a darker shade of red.

**In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads. **

**At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off. **

"We didn't want that image Percy," Jason joked. Percy laughed and the gods relaxed fully. Other than Octavian's snide remarks the demigods were getting along great.

**I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur. **

"I can fix you a table Chiron," Hephaestus offered.

"Thank you my lord," Chiron replied.

**Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair. **

**Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends. **

"I was not belching," Clarisse glared. But it was lost as every laughed.

**Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!" **

**Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!" **

"Why thank you," Apollo said. He started to laugh but was hit hard in ribs by his sister.

"Don't you ever shut up?" Artemis said.

"I would sis but then I wouldn't be able to annoy you." Apollo shot back. Athena in order to prevent an eclipse read over them.

**Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course." **

**I said, "Cherry Coke." **

**The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid. **

**Then I had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke." **

Sally smiled at her son. She noticed baby Percy playing with his future self. She smiled wider cause she could see the great young man in front of her.

**The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt. **

**I took a cautious sip. Perfect. **

**I drank a toast to my mother. **

Hera smiled. "Your son is very loyal to you Sally," She said to Percy's mom. Sally just smiled and agreed.

**She's not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She's in the Underworld. And if that's a real place, then someday... **

"Percy, I love you, but I will not allow you to go to the underworld," Sally said sternly.

Percy looked sheepish. "Actually I had to. But I was mostly going to get you back." Sally sighed. She knew he was going to have to.

**"Here you go, Percy," Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket. **

**I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something. **

"Without even taking a bite?" Hazel shook her head. Percy smiled blushing at the fact that he knew he was going to get messed with for a while.

**"Come on," Luke told me. **

**As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. **

**Luke murmured in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell." **

**"You're kidding." **

"Very much not. We love the smell of the sacrifices. I almost lived of it once on a dare. Didn't work out well at all." Ares said.

"Didn't work out well? You ended up in the infirmary for a week for dehydration. You still aren't up to your full strength." Apollo said. Everyone laughed at him.

**His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food. **

**Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes." **

Hermes smiled happily.

**I was next. **

**I wished I knew what god's name to say. **

**Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me. Please. **

"I will son. I promise," Poseidon said. Baby Percy heard him and turned towards him. He smiled a toothless grin and Poseidon took him into his arms and held him close. "How are you my son?"

"Dada," Baby Percy said. Sally smiled as her son said his first word.

**I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames. **

**When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag. **

"I hope not. I don't want to smell throw up," Hermes said snickering. Athena hit upside the head. Hermes rubbed his head cursing.

**It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. **

**When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention. **

**Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels." **

The gods glared at Dionysus who tried to hide from the glares.

**A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table. **

**"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson." **

**Chiron murmured something. **

**"Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on." **

**Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. I felt that I was home. **

Sally looked at Percy and saw that it was true. He was happy. She would think about sending him sooner.

**Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag. **

**My fingers curled around the Minotaur's horn. I thought about my mom, but I had good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite. **

_I really wish my sons could be that way about me. Ares is too crazy and I did ruin it with Hephaestus by throwing him off Olympus. _Hera thought.

**When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly. **

**That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood. **

**I wish I'd known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home. **

"That's the chapter who is reading next?" Athena said.

"I will. I hope there is some action in the next chapter." Ares said. Athena tossed him the book. However, he missed it and it hit him hard in the nose. Ares picked up the book cursing. He looked at the title and smiled. _Maybe there will be some action now, _He thought. "We capture a flag." Ares read aloud.

Percy's smiled faded as he remembered the match. He was still upset about it. But at her smile and laughter, he couldn't help but smile.

"That sounds like our war games," Jason said. Everyone was eager to see how good of fighters the Greeks were. Unfortunately, that was when Octavian woke.

"Ahhhhh, Cyclopes it's going to eat get it away." He screamed. He blinked once and saw Tyson on the other side of Poseidon. He was playing with baby Percy. Octavian huffed and walked to his chair.

Ares opened his mouth and began reading.

_**Hey guys how's it going? I am glad to be able to post again tonight. I hope you enjoy this chapter and review when you can. I decided to bring baby Percy back upon request and sally as well. I brought Tyson and Rachel and will. They will take part in Octavian's future problems. And they are central to the series. I hope to have another chapter up tomorrow morning. Thank you and goodnight.**_

_**P.S. The Stolls will be here soon. **_


	11. A flag, A hound and a trident

Annabeth looked at Percy. She knew he was still mad at her for this game of capture the flag. "I am sorry Percy. I didn't think you would need help." Percy for his part smiled.

"Its ok wise girl. I'm over it now." Percy replied. He kissed her deeply and turned to Ares who just started reading.

**The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.**

"That does sound pretty normal to me," Clarisse said.

"Yes but for someone new to all this it's a bit strange." Percy pointed out. Clarisse glared and turned away muttering punk.

**Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache. **

"Now I can read it all with a very little headache." Percy said proudly. Octavian chose that time to speak.

"I suppose you listening to books on tape can give a headache," He said with venom. Before he had two arrows embed themselves right next to his head. Octavian gulped as Will Solace and Frank Zhang put their Bows away and sat back down.

**The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow. **

Percy glared at Thalia but wasn't expecting Will to say anything. "Percy, I think I would rather give a bow to a blind man. No offense but we would be safer with him than you." Will said. Percy blushed and laughed with everyone else.

**He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail. **

"Where were you standing Chiron?" Artemis asked.

Chiron grimaced and said, "I was ten feet behind him watching him." Artemis looked shocked. She never knew anyone to be so bad with a bow.

**Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree. **

"I bet it is slowpoke." Apollo laughed.

**And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me. **

Ares looked up at his daughter and gave her an approving nod. _Teach the punk a lesson, _Ares thought.

**"There's more where that came from, punk," she'd mumble in my ear. **

"Always will be too," Clarisse smiled. Percy smirked and laughed.

**The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur. **

Hermes laughed and said, "Percy that is heroic. With the fishes at least," Hermes laughter stopped as Poseidon threw a trout at Hermes. Hermes caught it with his mouth and threw it up. All over Octavian. Everyone laughed for about 10 minutes and were still laughing as Octavian came back.

**I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, or as good at archery as the Apollo kids. I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or-gods forbid- Dionysus's way with vine plants. **

"Thank the gods for that," Percy said. Dionysus just huffed and glared at the wall.

**Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. He really didn't know what to make of me either. **

"He does now," Nico said. "He knows he can't beat you." He whispered the last part to Percy who smiled.

**Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. **

Jason looked at Percy and said, " Your camp sounds beautiful. I wish ours was like that."

Percy replied with a smirk. "You should see it now. It is even more beautiful."

**I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came. Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back... **

Hades smiled a evil smile and said, "I wouldn't allow you to Perseus. But you can try all you like."

Hades then paled as Percy and Sally glared hard.

**I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear? **

**Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor. **

Percy frowned. He had his chance to put an end to everything. If only he had known he would have stopped Luke.

**We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good. **

"That's good. You must be a good sword fighter." Jason said. "I would like to spar with you sometime if you don't mind." Percy smiled. Jason really didn't see Nico shaking his head like crazy at him.

**The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. **

"Riptide is the only sword for me," Percy said happily holding his pen out.

**Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. **

"Still beat him for the first time," Percy muttered

**We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time. **

**"Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years." **

Hermes smiled but frowned as Nico replied, "Not anymore. Percy holds that title now."

**"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said. **

**The camper snorted. **

**Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap! **

"A bit rough on him isn't he?" Sally said worriedly. Poseidon smiled and replied.

"He needs to be a bit rough so Percy can learn to defend himself."

**By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same. **

"It seems Luke is about to get taught a lesson now," Poseidon laughed.

**Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward. **

"Sea powers must be pretty awesome," Reyna thought aloud. She glared at Octavian who opened his mouth to comment. Octavian looked away muttering about being betrayed.

**"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo." **

**Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded. **

Thalia spoke up sarcastically, "That is my favorite pastime."

Percy smiled and said, "Ok then, you can spar alongside Jason when we spar later." Thalia's eyes lit up at that.

**The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon. **

"That's one of the hardest techniques to learn. I've been training since I was two and still can't perform it." Jason moaned. Percy just smirked at him and chuckled.

**"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique." **

**He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand. **

**"Now in real time," he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?" **

Percy frowned. He wondered if Luke had taught that move to be nice or because he had to teach something.

**I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force.**

"Ummm aren't you training not fighting?" Poseidon asked. He didn't know why he just didn't like the son of Hermes.

**The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck? **

**I tried the disarming maneuver. **

**My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. **

**Clang. **

**Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch **

**from his undefended chest. **

The Roman demigods were shocked. "You did it on the first shot? I can't believe it." Jason grumbled.

**The other campers were silent. **

**I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry." **

"Only you say sorry for disarming someone in a fight seaweed brain," Annabeth said adoringly.

**For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak. **

"Wasn't expecting to lose to him was he," Poseidon said smugly to Hermes. He just rolled his eyes and laughed.

**"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!" **

**I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted. **

"Of course. He wanted to see if he had a problematic fighter to deal with." Nico said. His brother like love for Percy growing each time Percy did something against the odds.

**This time, there was no contest. The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor. **

**After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?" **

**Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ." **

"A lot of damage when he wants to," Nico said depressed. He was still getting lectures from his father from the incident at the Styx.

**Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms.**

**We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D. **

"You probably gave him a scare," Dionysus said fondly.

**His face turned a sickly shade of yellow. **

"Much like it is now," Annabeth said laughing at Grover's expense.

**"Fine," he said. "Just great." **

**"So your career's still on track?" **

**He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?" **

**"Well... no." I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?" **

**Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete." **

"Which he did and Grover better get his credentials when he earns them Dionysus. He is my sons friend and I won't let you treat him badly," Poseidon threatened the wine dude.

**My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?" **

**"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?" **

"Why wouldn't I want you along goat boy," Percy said. Grover smiled at his best friend.

**"Of course I'd want you along!" **

**Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill." **

**I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins. **

**"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad." **

"Not really. I just need a place for my hunters to stay when we take a break at camp Half-blood.

**"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" **

**Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. **

"No that seems to be my husbands job," Hera said angrily. Zeus looked sheepishly and apologized.

**That's her husband's job. **

"Weird," Percy said to Grover.

**When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos." **

**"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades." **

"That's right, we are powerful, we rock." Poseidon said. Hades and Zeus just chuckled at their brothers antics.

**"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what." **

**"Zeus got the sky," I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld." **

Hades mumbled something about cheated.

**"Uh-huh." **

**"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here." **

"I should though," Hades glared at Zeus.

**"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that." **

"You did surprise me though," Grover said to Nico who just smiled back at him.

**"But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?" **

"Why aren't they is more like it," Hera muttered.

**Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx." **

"Who hasn't punished the two who have broken it," Hera muttered again.

**Thunder boomed.**

**I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make." **

**Grover nodded. **

**"And the brothers kept their word-no kids?" **

"Nope," said all the big three kids.

**Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter." **

**"But that isn't fair.' It wasn't the little girl's fault." **

"Little girl?" Thalia said turning to Percy. He could see the Lightning in Thalia's eyes and knew he was in trouble.

**Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill." **

**He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. **

Jason looked scared for his sister. How could anyone defeat all those monsters without help.

**She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill." **

Zeus looked at a loss of words. "Daughter I- I- I am so sorry. You don't deserve that fate."

Thalia smiled a sad smile and said, "I might not deserve the fate. But it is my choice."

Zeus smiled proudly. Something though still bugged him. "If you are a tree at this time, how did you get out?"

"Percy did it. I won't tell you how. Just that he saved me from that tree."

"Thank you child. Thank you very much," Zeus said proudly. Percy knew it was a big deal for Zeus to thank him so he smiled and nodded.

**I stared at the pine in the distance.**

**The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother? **

"No you couldn't have Percy. The minotaur was too strong." Annabeth said.

**"Grover," I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?" **

**"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." **

**"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" **

**"No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking-" **

"Yes he is," Everyone said.

**"No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?" **

"You need to work on changing subjects too Percy," Hermes laughed.

**Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems." **

"We resent that statement. Just cause we tend to have anger issues doesn't mean we cause problems," Nico said. He glared half- heartedly at grover who just gulped.

**"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special." **

"Sorry Percy. We still don't know about you," Apollo said. He laughed but didn't have time to run from the gallons of water about to drop on his head.

**Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?" **

"Nemesis is a goddess goat boy," Annabeth teased him.

**I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me. **

**That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. **

**At last, it was time for capture the flag. **

"About time. I want some action in this boring book," Ares mumbled to himself. Sally looked at and thought that he needed to be taught some manners.

**When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables. **

**Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head. **

"Go Athena," Most of the room cheered. The last 3 cheered for Ares.

**I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?" **

"Duh," Thalia said.

**"Yeah." **

**"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" **

**"Not always," he said. "But often." **

Ares and Athena smiled at their daughters.

**"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?" **

**He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one." **

**"Whose side are we on?" **

**He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help." **

"I really wish someone had warned me about the plan," Percy moaned.

**The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support. **

**Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. **

"I am so proud of them. I hope they are accessorizing properly," Aphrodite said. Everyone rolled their eyes and payed attention.

**Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. **

Ares smiled wickedly. He knew Clarisse and a few of her siblings were to get revenge for being disrespected.

**Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. **

**"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. **

**Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" **

"Though most don't listen at all," Percy said. Clarisse just smiled at him.

**He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. **

**"Whoa," I said. "We're really supposed to use these?" **

"What were you expecting Greek? Rubber weapons?" Octavian said.

Percy was about to hit him when Octavian was lifted high of the ground.

"Don't be mean to my brother. He is very good at head smashing. And I will help," Tyson said menacingly. Octavian gulped and nodded. Tyson smiled and dropped him. From ten feet in the air. Octavian screamed like a girl as he landed on his head. Percy just smiled at Tyson who said shyly, "No one can pick on my brother except Anniebeth and Thalia."

There was the sound of a baby laughing. Tyson saw him and smiled his toothy grin at baby Percy. Percy stood up taking his younger self from his father and letting Tyson hold him. Tyson smiled widely as he sat down with the baby in his lap. Percy just smiled at his mom who looked worriedly at her baby. She relaxed but kept an eye on her baby.

**Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol." **

"Would have loved a smaller shield." Percy grumbled.

**My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, **

Thalia glared at Percy remembering the boar and the mountain.

**but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes. **

**Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!" **

"In command at an early age. Good for you," Thalia said sarcastically.

**We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north. **

**I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment. **

"Good job Percy," Nico smirked.

**"Hey." **

**She kept marching. **

"Cold shoulder Annie. Why would you do that?" Thalia asked.

"I was focusing on the plan I made." Annabeth said matter of factly.

**"So what's the plan?" I asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?" **

**Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something. **

"At the time I thought you were a son of Hermes so I had to be safe about it." Annabeth told Percy. Percy just smiled and kiss her making Annabeth's knees shake.

**"Just watch Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?" **

**"Border patrol, whatever that means." **

**"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan." **

"Again with your slogan," Nico said snickering before Percy punched him in the arm. Percy and Annabeth smiled as Nico rubbed his arm.

**She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust. **

**"Okay," I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team." **

**It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees. **

**Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot. **

"You looked like an idiot," Annabeth teased. Percy just pouted making Annabeth kiss him.

**The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong. The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball. **

**There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right? **

"Sorry Percy. We don't have any liability issues." Hermes snickered.

**Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. **

Apollo smiled at his son who smiled back.

**Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual. **

Artemis sighed exasperated. "Only a boy would think fighting is fun."

**Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. **

"Please tell me that is Mrs. O'Leary." Nico said worried. Percy just grimaced and shook his head.

**I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me. **

_O wonderful. Just great, _Poseidon said.

**Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating. **

Most of the campers relaxed till Ares read the next line.

**On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. **

"How can he take on 5 people without barely any training?" Reyna asked incredulously.

**"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed. **

**Her ugly pig eyes **

"PIG EYES?" Clarisse screamed at Percy. Percy just smiled sheepishly and looked away.

**glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords-not that that made me feel any better. **

**They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin. **

**I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned. **

"Ah I give her an electric spear. Very nice," Ares smiled evilly. He didn't see the block of ice til it dropped on his head.

**Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back. **

**Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt. **

**They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing. **

**"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair." **

Annabeth was shocked. She didn't know how bad they were beating him He never told her and she showed up when they pushed him in the creek.

**I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb. **

**"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared." **

"You better be Clarisse. He defeats you every time you guys fight," Annabeth pointed out earning herself a glare.

**"The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way. **

"I cant believe you told her where the flag was," Thalia said. She glared at Percy who just shrugged.

"I was trying to distract them so I could defend myself better," Percy retorted.

**"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."**

"That doesn't take much. They tend to do that on their own." Athena said smirking when Ares growled.

**"You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. **

**Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-ke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut. **

_Pease be ok please, _Sally was saying frantically in her mind. She noticed the look of concern on Poseidon's face too.

**Seeing my own blood made me dizzy-warm and cold at the same time. **

**"No maiming," I managed to say. **

"Rules are meant to be broken. Otherwise there wouldn't be any fun," Clarisse said.

**"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege. **

"Chiron, I know its not my place really but is that all you do to punish those kids?" Sally asked the old horse.

"O no I assure you there are a lot of punishments for trouble makers in camp." Chiron said.

**He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans. **

Poseidon smiled wickedly and Ares gulped seeing the smile. He knew his kids were in for one heck of a fight.

**Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water. **

All the demigods cheered as Percy started beating his opponents butt.

**Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig. **

"You snapped my daughters shield? I will get you for that," Ares growled. What happened next surprised everyone.

"You touch my son Ares and you will deal with me. You will find that Tartarus will be a welcoming home than what I would do to you." Sally said menacingly as she got into Ares face. Athena and Poseidon stood next to her daring him to try something.

"Your mom is awesome Percy," Rachel said as everyone watched the war god cower in fear by a mortal.

**"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"**

**She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek. **

**Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse. **

"It was pretty awesome to see you defeat them like that seaweed brain," Annabeth said as everyone nodded in approval. Percy just smiled at the compliment.

**"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick." **

**They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn. **

**The game was over. We'd won. **

"I am happy that we won. It is always fun playing capture the flag." Percy admitted.

**I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to **

**me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero." **

**I looked, but she wasn't there. **

**"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head. **

Athena smiles. She knew Annabeth got that hat from her.

**I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up," I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out." **

"The fact that you figured it out that fast is surprising." Thalia smirked.

**Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan." **

**"A plan to get me pulverized." **

"Sorry," Annabeth said. Percy just kissed her and she knew he was forgiven.

**"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ..." She shrugged. **

**"You didn't need help." **

**Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?" **

"He got slashed with a sword," Jason said like it was obvious.

**"Sword cut," I said. "What do you think?" **

**"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it." **

**The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared. **

"You can heal in water?" Hazel asked in awe. Percy just smiled and nodded.

**"I-I don't get it," I said. **

**Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at my feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy." **

"She figured it out easily enough." Athena said proudly.

**"What-" **

**"Just do it." **

"Already bossing him around. I like that," Aphrodite said making Annabeth blush beet red.

**I came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms started to go numb again. My adrenaline rush left me. I almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied me. **

**"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ." **

"Why is that?" Zeus asked grumpily.

Annabeth smiled and replied. "At the time Lord Zeus we figured you were the only one to break the oath." Zeus just sighed cause it was logical.

**Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest. **

"A hellhound? How did it get into the camp?" Athena said worriedly.

**The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!" **

**Annabeth drew her sword. **

**There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, **

**with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. **

**It was looking straight at me. **

"O no, please be ok please," Poseidon chanted.

**Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!" **

**She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor,**

Sally started crying silently and Athena glared at Ares to read faster.

**there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet. **

"O thank you so much Chiron thank you," Poseidon said gratefully.

**By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat. **

"On the brink of dying and you joke about it? Unbelievable." Jason said shaking his head. He was liking Percy more and more.

**Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.**

**"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..." **

**"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp." **

"A traitor?" Athena said. She began calculating who it could be.

**Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone. **

**Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!" **

"My best friend was attacked by a hellhound and you accuse him of it," Grover said with disbelief in his voice.

**"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her. **

**We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. **

**"You're wounded," Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water." **

**"I'm okay." **

"You need to listen to her young man," Sally said sternly. Percy just nodded and Annabeth smiled widely.

**"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this." **

**I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me. **

**Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped. **

**"Look, I-I don't know why," I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..." **

"Again with the unnecessary apologies," Nico said.

**But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head. **

**"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ..." **

**By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident. **

"He is being claimed by Poseidon," Annabeth explained to the Romans who were looking confused.

**"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good." **

**"It is determined," Chiron announced. **

**All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it. **

**"My father?" I asked, completely bewildered. **

**"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God." **

"Way to make it sound so dramatic Chiron," Hermes smiled.

"Poseidon's kids get some awesome powers too," Grover bragged for his best friend.

Ares threw the book at Dionysus who took and opened it. He cleared his throat and said, "I am offered a quest." Poseidon paled and Sally stared at her son worriedly.

_**Alright guys thank you for some more great reviews and comments. Thanks go to: . .27, allen r, Dark Knight Warrior, F.A.L.T.U., Daughter of wisdom and music, Brackenfern, paradiseisland101, birdy, aesi21and angellyx13. Thank you guys for your great comments. I hope to update again tonight. Thank you and have a great day. Fjclay823 signing out.**_


	12. My quest, their problem

_**Well guys my next chapter is up. I plan on doing a sparring session soon with Jason Percy and Thalia. Also in that chapter there will be a surprise for Octavian. Hehehe. Enjoy your chapter.**_

Dionysus looked at the book as Poseidon paled and glared at Chiron.

"You couldn't have chosen anyone else for the quest?" He said sulkily. Chiron just grimaced and replied.

"I am sorry my lord but he was the only one there who could have pulled this quest off. It is not my intention to put your children in harm. I did so to stop the next world war." Chiron said.

"I know Chiron. I just don't want my son and his friends to get hurt." Poseidon said. Chiron just smiled at Poseidon's and Percy's similarities. He felt a tug on his tail and looked down to see baby Percy tugging on it. He smiled and pick up. Baby Percy smiled widely as did Chiron before hearing the dreaded word.

"Pony?" Baby Percy said. Chiron just sighed and smiled as he said.

"Centaur child. Can you say that?"

"Cent- cent- Pony." Baby Percy giggled as the residents of the room laughed. Chiron just nodded to Dionysus to read.

**The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three. **

**I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else. **

"Sounds pretty awesome," Frank said. "But it would be very lonely that way."

The big three kids just nodded and agreed.

**And I was absolutely miserable. **

**Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid-or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood-I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease. **

"Remind me to get the Stolls back for that prank later." Nico grumbled. The Stolls had gone and painted his cabin pink then persuaded Nico that he had a disease that would make him blackout and do strange things. They kept up the prank for a week. Nico had gone crazy with worry till Chiron caught the Stolls and they confessed.

**Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe. **

"I never even thought about that," Annabeth admitted. Percy smiled glad that he thought of something she didn't.

**The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one.**

"Weaklings," Octavian muttered. Reyna glared at him and he shut up fast.

**He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process. **

**"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions." **

"Kid knows how to train," Ares grunted. Everyone thought otherwise. They felt that Luke was pushing him too hard.

**Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes.**

"What is your problem?" Jason asked.

"I was confused. I didn't know if I could be friends with him because of our parents." Annabeth replied.

**After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan ..." **

Athena smiled and laughed quietly.

**Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored. **

"You could have picked a fight with me at any time," Clarisse said. "I would have beaten you down happily." Percy smiled at her comment. He liked the challenge of the spar with her.

**I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page. **

"I hate it when that happens," All the demigods said except Frank. They looked at him oddly.

"What? I'm lactose intolerant. I'd trade happily." Frank defended himself.

**BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER **

**FREAK CAR ACCIDENT **

**BY EILEEN SMYTHE **

**Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding. **

The entire room snickered at this. Grover high- fived Percy.

**Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing **

**nothing unusual around the time of the accident. **

"Ah the mist is a wonderful thing," Hermes said.

**Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past. **

"HE IS BLAMING MY SON? HOW COULD I MARRY THIS PIG?" Sally shrieked. Percy was shocked because he has never heard his mom this way before.

**Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline. **

**The phone number was circled in black marker. **

"Who did that Percy?" Poseidon sked. He had a murderous look in his eyes.

"I don't know I never found out." Percy replied.

**I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin. **

**"Lights out," I told myself miserably. **

**That night, I had my worst dream yet. **

"O wonderful. We get a sneak peak into the dreams of a half-blood," Thalia groaned.

**I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance. **

"L.A." Hades said.

**About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose. **

"The boy even dreams of you two fighting endlessly." Demeter said. "If you two don't stop the endless fighting then ill force you two to plow all the farms on the planet." Poseidon and Zeus paled.

**I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand. **

**Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy. **

"My bolt is not a toy," Zeus whined. Hera rolled her eyes.

"Quit whining Zeus or I'll put you down for a nap." Hera said teasingly. Zeus just pouted and Hades made a whipping motion making Poseidon laugh.

**The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.**

**I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting! **

"Those two blockheads won't listen to anyone beside Hestia," Demeter said.

**The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice. **

"Hades?" Zeus said.

**Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down! **

**The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me. **

**I woke up, sure I was falling. **

Percy grimaced remembering St. Helens.

**I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that. **

**I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold. **

**"Come in?" **

"Never let strange hooved creatures inside Percy," Apollo said. _Moron,_ Artemis said.

**Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you." **

**"Why?" **

**"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you." **

Dionysus looked up to see a trident pointed at his throat. Poseidon looked terrifying as he said. "Touch one hair on my son's and any other demigods head and you will regret it." Dionysus just sweated and nodded. Poseidon sat back down glaring at the wine dude.

**Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.**

"When aren't you in trouble?" Thalia teased. Percy just shrugged and laughed.

**For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict. **

"Actually I would have been the one to do it," Hermes said sadly.

**Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella. **

**"No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to." **

**I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?" **

**He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does." **

"Not when a god is pissed it won't." Percy said.

**I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley. **

**But this storm ... this one was huge. **

**At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm. **

"I really wish you two wouldn't fight brothers," Hestia said calmly. To the brothers it was worse than being yelled at. They dropped their heads in shame.

**Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents-two sets of cards hovering in the air. **

"Have I beaten them yet?" Dionysus said. He frowned as Chiron shook his head.

**"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity." **

**I waited. **

**"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." **

"Insult me again and you won't have anymore demigod children Dionysus." Poseidon said. Dionysus grumbled about making himself look worse as he read on.

**A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. **

**"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said. **

No one commented as Poseidon glared at Dionysus.

**Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. **

"I was not cowering." Grover said. At a look at Percy though he spoke again. "Ok I was cowering."

**"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm." **

**"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in. **

"Killing some just because you don't like them is wrong. I hope you will all understand this." Hestia said. Most of the gods hung their heads in shame.

**"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father." **

**"Mr. D-" Chiron warned. **

"Thank you Chiron," Sally said smiling at the old horse who smiled back.

**"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do." **

**Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass. **

"Why would you need a security pass?" You live here." Artemis pointed out. Dionysus just shrugged.

**He snapped his fingers. **

**The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind. **

Dionysus sighed longingly.

**Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. **

**And Grover." **

**We did. **

"I hope so. He did just ask you too." Apollo snickered.

**Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. **

_Dang it, _Dionysus thought.

**"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?" **

**Just hearing the name made me shudder. **

**Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn't feel like lying. **

**"It scared me," I said. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead." **

"Thank you again Chiron," Sally said again. The centaur looked uncomfortable with the attention.

**"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done." **

**"Done ... with what?" **

**"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" **

"It would be better to tell him first so he knew what he was getting into." Athena pointed out.

**I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers. **

**"Um, sir," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet." **

_Good. He wants to know the details. Smart boy, I guess, _Athena thought.

**Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details." **

**Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together. **

**"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... something that was stolen, aren't they?" **

"Very observant child. Good. There is hope for you in school." Athena said. Percy just blushed.

**Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. **

**Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?" **

**My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams." **

"I cant believe your dreams were this bad," Annabeth said. She hadn't known about them.

**"I knew it," Grover said. **

**"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered. **

**"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!" **

**"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. **

Octavian made his mistake as he spoke. "Oracles, so weak and pathetic. No wonder you Greeks lost to Rome." Everyone was silent. They watched the Greek demigods who sat their smiling. Then they started laughing. Octavian looked confused, till he saw the flash of red and green. Rachel attacked Octavian. In a flash the oracle took over and had a Stygian dagger at Octavian's throat. The oracle spoke through Rachel and was very angry. _I AM THE ORACLE OF DELPHI. WATCH YOUR TONGUE OCTAVIAN MICHELLE SAMPSON. YOU SPEAK OF GREEKS BEING WEAK. IRONIC COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO PRETENDS TO SEE THE FUTURE IN THE REMAINS OF STUFFED TEDDY BEARS. I WARN YOU NOW. DO NOT INSULT ME AGAIN OR YOU SHALL FEEL THE WRATH OF ME AND MY PATRON APOLLO WHETHER YOU ARE A DESCENDANT OR NOT. I SHALL LEAVE YOU WITH A PARTING GIFT. GOODNIGHT. _The oracle withdrew her knife and kicked Octavian hard in his privates. Octavian fell to the floor unable to move. He slumped over and passed out. After about 5 minutes everyone calmed down and kept reading.

**"Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt." **

**I laughed nervously. "A what?" **

"My lightning bolt. The most powerful weapons in existence today," Zeus bragged as Thalia shook her head in embarrassment. She wished her father was more mature.

**"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives." **

"Oh," Most of the demigods said.

**"Oh." **

The ones who spoke blushed and laughed.

**"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers." **

"Good job Chiron. You just gave my bigheaded brother a bigger head," Hestia teased Chiron. They both laughed.

**"And it's missing?" **

**"Stolen," Chiron said. **

**"By who?" **

"By whom Perseus." Athena said. Percy grumbled something about teachers and stopped once Annabeth kissed him.

**"By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you." **

**My mouth fell open. **

**"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,**

"Those topics aren't nonsense. They are very important topics," Zeus and Poseidon said. Everyone rolled their eyes and ignored them.

**' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it." **

"Accusations only get you so far husband. Where is the proof of this?" Hera said. Zeus blushed slightly and tried not to listen to her.

**"But I didn't-" **

**"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. **

"That's Zeus's paranoia talking," Athena said earning a laugh from everyone and a glare from her father.

**The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief." **

"Father. You are crazy for blaming him," Jason said. Zeus sighed and apologized to Percy. He just nodded.

**"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" **

"I am not crazy!" Zeus said indignantly.

"No you are not," Hermes said. Zeus smiled but it didn't stay long. "You are paranoid." Hermes finished.

**Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. **

"Please seaweed brain. Stop with the creepy metaphors and such." Annabeth said.

**"Er, Percy ...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky." **

**"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. **

Chiron blushed as Zeus looked at him in exasperation.

**"Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..." He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. **

"Ten bucks says he doesn't," Nico said. Thalia grinned and shook his hand.

"Deal," she said ignoring Percy's look of annoyance.

**How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted. **

**Chiron was waiting for an answer. **

**"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" **

"I still don't trust you completely for that." Zeus said grumpily.

"You deserved it. You let the power get to your head. We had to take you down a few pegs." Poseidon said. Zeus shot him a look but didn't retort cause of Hestia's look at both of them.

**"Correct," **

"AWWW man," Nico said. He handed Thalia her ten dollars and she smiled.

"Thanks, now I have some money to bet others with," She said making Nico grumble more.

**Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw." **

**"But I'm just a kid!" **

**"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?" **

"He does have a point," Hades said. He stopped talking at the evil look Demeter gave him.

**"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" **

**Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?" **

"Bad," Apollo guessed.

**"Bad?" I guessed. **

Apollo blushed and snickered.

**"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight." **

"Way to make him feel better about his quest," Reyna said. Chiron blushed.

**"Bad," I repeated. **

**"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath." **

**It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky. **

**I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me. I was furious. **

"O joy. A mad Percy is a rash Percy." Nico said. He explained Percy's tendancies to do stupid things when he was upset to the Romans.

**"So I have to find the stupid bolt," I said. "And return it to Zeus." **

**"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?" **

**"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" **

"And here I will be blamed as always," Hades muttered.

**"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle." **

**"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?" **

**"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge." **

"Good reason," Frank said.

**I swallowed. "Good reason." **

Everyone laughed at Frank.

**"You agree then?" **

**I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. **

**Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill. **

**"All right," I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin." **

"That's the spirit kelp head," Thalia said laughing.

**"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more." **

"You can drive people insane?" Hazel asked Rachel.

"No but my predecessor could easily." She replied making people shudder.

**Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor. **

**I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. **

**The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else ... a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes. **

**I held my breath and climbed. **

**The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969. **

"I loved Woodstock. The best time for good music in those days," Apollo said reminiscing.

**By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a long, long time. **

"That's the previous Oracle?" Jason asked. The Greeks just nodded remembering May Castellan.

**Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain: **_**I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.**_

"You put the Python thing in there to make yourself look good, didn't you," Artemis said.

Apollo smiled and said, "Yup. I have to give my best image after all." He smiled brightly before Artemis slammed a paper bag over his head.

"OK. I found your best side and it looks a lot better. I swear." Artemis said as everyone laughed at Apollo.

**I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But **

**I forced myself to take a deep breath. **

'Only you can make a strange and terrifying situation funny," Nico said earning a slap upside the head from Percy.

**The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil, like my demonic math teacher Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either. **

"A very good observation," Athena remarked.

**I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?" **

"A bit cliché, don't you think?" Aphrodite said.

**The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies. **

Almost everyone ground their teeth. Artemis was the only one who didn't. She planned on taking care of this man personally and starting sharpening her arrows.

**My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist. **

**Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: **_**You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. **_

Everyone looked at Hades who sulked.

**His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: **_**You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.**_

Zeus jumped for joy.

**The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: **_**You shall he betrayed by one who calls you a friend. **_

Those who knew the adventures already thought of Luke.

**Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: **_**And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end. **_

Poseidon looked at Sally who cried.

**The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?" **

**The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos. **

**I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else. **

Apollo smiled apologetic and said, "I am sorry Percy. But you will never get a straight answer."

**My audience with the Oracle was over. **

**"Well?" Chiron asked me. **

**I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen." **

Zeus was still cheering before Hera slapped him and pulled him into his chair.

**Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. **

**"That's great!" **

"Idiot. You should have waited. Then you wouldn't have been terrified of our destination." Annabeth chided.

**"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important." **

**My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She . .. she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."**

**"I knew it," Grover said. **

**Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?" **

**I didn't want to tell him. **

**What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many. **

"You do now." Annabeth said kissing his neck sending shivers down his spine.

**And the last line-I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail **

**How could I confess that? **

"It sounds difficult for a kid who just started training." Hestia said. She had a lot of faith in him.

**"No," I said. "That's about it." **

"You should have told him Percy. I know it didn't sound good but he would have helped you better," Sally said. Percy hung his head and apologized.

**He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass." **

**I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better. **

"I knew and I was," Chiron said smiling.

**"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?" **

**"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?" **

**"Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed. **

**"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken." **

"Sure blame the god of the dead why don't you," Hades grumbled.

**I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades." **

**Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility." **

"No I am not, I am the only one you want to see as a possibility," Hades said. Chiron blushed and said an apology.

**A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?" **

"You heard him goat boy," Nico said laughing.

**"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades." **

"A valid point," Hades conceded.

**"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon... ." **

"Another valid argument," Hestia said smiling. Hades smiled back happy that his sister didn't treat him so badly.

**"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest." **

"Another valid point," Zeus said smugly. Hades glared at him and took satisfaction as his brother flinched slightly.

**"Great," I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me." **

"And a wonderful beginning to your legacy Percy," Thalia said. Percy just stuck his tongue out at her pouted.

**"But a quest to ..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year." **

"Grow a backbone goat boy." Thalia groaned. Grover glared at her and ignored the comment.

**"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth." **

"O joy. I should be expecting family soon," Hades said sarcastically.

**A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn't committed. **

**I was ready to take him on. **

"I would love to see you try," Hades smirked. Percy smirked back remembering the Styx incident.

**Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld ... **

"That's your main reason for going isn't it?" Hestia asked. She admired this young man for his loyalty to his mother. Hera though looked at Sally with jealousy.

**Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god. **

_Listen to that part of your brain son, _Poseidon begged silently.

**Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. **

Dionysus stopped reading to glare at Grover. He was unnerved when Grover didn't flinch.

**The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide. **

Aphrodite sniffled. "He is a very loyal friend. I will have a lot of fun with your love life Percy," Aphrodite said smiling. Percy and Annabeth blushed and thought they had enough problems in that department.

**"Look, if we know it's Hades," I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads." **

"We couldn't even if we wanted to," Poseidon said.

**"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades-and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?" **

"You mean use humans" Rachel said. The gods looked away and avoided her gaze.

**"You're saying I'm being used." **

"Pretty much," Frank said.

**"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you." **

**My dad needs me. **

Poseidon smiled.

**Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me. **

And Poseidon's smile faded.

**I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?" **

"Pretty much yes," Chiron said.

**"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too." **

**I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too. **

"Good point," Hazel said.

**"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead." **

**"Check," Chiron said. **

**"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe." **

**"Check." **

**"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days." **

**"That's about right." **

"All before hitting puberty too," Aphrodite said smiling," Percy blushed as the others tried to not envision Percy going through puberty.

**I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts. **

Another glare at Grover who returned it making Dionysus gulp.

**"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly. **

"Why are you so afraid to go to the underworld?" Nico said teasingly. "There is a garden there," He said smirking.

**"You don't have to go," I told him. "I can't ask that of you. **

**"Oh ..." He shifted his hooves. "No ... it's just that satyrs and underground places ... well..." **

**He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down." **

"About time you say something brave," Thalia said.

**I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he'd be with me. **

"We aren't much good but better than nothing," Grover said. Percy smiled.

"You do a lot of good G-man," Percy said causing Grover to blush.

**"All the way, G-man." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west." **

**"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America." **

doesn't answer the question Chiron," Athena said.

**"Where?" **

**Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles." **

**"Oh," I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane-" **

"No Percy," Sally said frightened. "You can never fly on a plane. It is too dangerous."

"I know that now mom," Percy said.

**"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?" **

**I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash. **

Zeus apologized to Sally again.

**"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive." **

"I flew once, and I never want to do it again," Percy said shuddering at the thought.

**Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed. **

**"Okay," I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland." **

**"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help." **

Athena sighed. She knew her daughter would want to go. She just hoped she was wrong.

**"Gee," I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?" **

Annabeth slapped Percy for the comment.

**The air shimmered behind Chiron. **

**Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. **

"That is seriously cool. I wish I had one," Hazel said. Annabeth smiled proudly at Athena.

**"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. **

"And so begins the greatest nickname to go down in demigod history," Thalia said mock bowing to Percy.

**"Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up." **

"Unfortunately I agree," Poseidon said. Everyone stared at him. "Leave me alone. My son is really going to need her help as much as she needs his."

"I cant believe I am saying this but Barnacle beard is right." Athena said.

**"If you do say so yourself," I said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?" **

**Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?" **

"Its not that he doesn't want your help Annie. He needs it. Badly." Thalia smirked. She got hit by a freezing cold wave and started shivering.

**The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get. **

**"A trio," I said. "That'll work." **

"And the golden trio begins," Clarisse muttered as Percy, Grover and Annabeth smiled.

**"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own." **

"Great to hear that Chiron" Sally said. She was scared for her son.

**Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather. **

**"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."**

"Ok who reads next?" Dionysus said. Hephaestus said to him.

"I will." He reached over to grab the book. As he was about to read Percy stopped him.

"Sorry to interrupt. But do you mind taking a break so I can have my match with Thalia and Jason?" Percy asked. Ares looked excited and eager to see a fight. Zeus thought for a moment and answered.

"Very well. Lets take a break and watch the match. Afterwards we might as well eat." He commanded making thunder boom overhead. Athena and Ares led us all to their arena. It was a smaller scale replica of the coliseum. The Romans smiled as everyone took their seats and placed their bets. Only Annabeth, Grover and Clarisse rooted for Percy. The rest with Thalia and Jason. They thought the odds were in there favor. Not even Apollo could predict the outcome. Zeus stood in the middle of the Arena.

"This sparring match will be between Percy Jackson son of Poseidon versus Thalia and Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter and Daughter of Zeus. No intentional maiming and no killing. Use whatever resources you have available. Begin the match!" Zeus yelled the last part and appeared in the stands to watch.

_**I know guys. It's a cliffhanger. I figured it would be a bit better to anticipate the fight. Special thank to everyone who commented. I am at over 50 reviews and counting. To birdy, PercyJacksonLove, Dark Knight Warrior, mistle11411, aesir21 and allen r. You guys have commented enough and I thank you greatly. Not only is the fight next but I have heard that the fates plan to bring some new faces to the story line. I wonder who? Can anyone guess? Thanks and Goodnight. Fjclay823 signing out. **_

_**P.S. I made Octavian's middle and last names up.**_


	13. A fight and a surprise

_**Hey guys. Here is my next chapter. I hope you guys like it. It is my first fight scene and I hope it is good. So far only 2 people have been guessed right. I am bringing five people in next. Travis and Conner are two. The next three will be revealed at the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoy the surprise. Leo and Piper are coming soon. Just in case no one has noticed my story is based between the Last Olympian and The Lost Hero. Enjoy guys.**_

_Percy's POV_

I uncapped Riptide and got into my stance waiting for Thalia and Jason to make the first move. I till had Achilles curse and I don't think Jason knew that. I debated about using my shield. Then I figured I would shock Jason.

They made the first move. Jason took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it into the air. When Jason caught it there was a golden gladius in his hand. A small part of my brain thought the coin trick was cool but the bigger part of my brain focused on Jason. He rushed me as Thalia fell back a little and started using her bow to shoot arrows at me. I used my sword swinging it hard and fast to knock the arrows away. She stopped once Jason was close to me. She unleashed Aegis and her spear and charged as well. I met Jason's fist strike with a parry. I had to admit he was a good fighter and I had a few hard minutes of getting used to his style. Too soon though, Thalia had caught up to us so I decided to a new trick I had just learned.

I blocked a stab from Jason and used his momentum to grab his wrist and pulled him forward where he ran head first into Thalia's shield. I focused hard on the moisture in the air and solidified it into a weapon of its own. Thalia looked in shock as I held riptide in one hand and in my other was a trident made out of ice.

Jason got up slowly. He rubbed his head and I could see a bump there. Jason and Thalia stared at the trident. I smirked and charged. I used the butt of my sword and hit Aegis as my trident flew towards Jason at incredible speeds. Jason barely dodged my attack but Thalia stumbled backward wincing from the hit. Jason swung his gladius towards my shoulder. I back stepped and counters by swinging the trident around and hitting Jason on the head. Jason stumbled back and shook his head dazed. Thalia took this as an opportunity to strike. She used her spear and broke through my ice trident. I dropped the trident and backed up slowly dodging her attacks. I willed more water vapor to pool behind Jason.

In a matter of seconds there was a small pond. I looked at the pond briefly planning my next move I failed to see Thalia shield bash me. I flew back and hit the dirt. Thalia and Jason looked at each other and smiled. I knew what they were planning. I quickly will the pond to come to me as they raised their hands. They didn't notice the water covering my body and leaving a small trail that wrapped around their feet. As the lightning struck the water absorbed the electricity. It flowed through the water and followed the trail to their feet.

They didn't realize it till it was too late. The electricity hit them hard. Both were thrown back by their own power. Thalia hit the ground hard and was out cold. Jason stood up slowly. He was burnt slightly and a little angry to have his power used against him. I too was a little burnt but they had gotten the most of it.

Jason was not going to go down easily. Percy knew that had decided on his next idea. But it wouldn't work as Jason willed the air currents to lift him off the ground. I was shocked he could do that but I thought quickly and figured out a way to ground. Hard.

I summoned all the water from every fountain on Olympus. I will to live a small hurricane. Rain, wind, sleet and lightning bombarded Jason. They looked at each other and decided to end the fight with the next strike. Jason flipped his sword and it became a coin again. He flipped the coin and this time it was a lance made of gold. Jason then made his mistake. He threw the lance with amazing speed at me.

It flew straight and true and hit me in the chest. It bounced off but stung. Jason was shocked. The people in the stands gasped. Jason's faced turned to horror as Percy, with an almighty heave threw the hurricane at him. Jason was sucked into to hurricane and was pelted by the elements. As the storm died Jason fell to the ground below unconscious. Before he hit though a cushion of water broke the fall.

Jason lay next to his sister. Both were knocked out and I was on my knees. I was tired and I had one Hades of a fight. Zeus appeared in the arena and said. "The winner of this match is Perseus Jackson son of Poseidon." He sounded a little miffed that I won, but I could see respect in his eyes. The gods and demigods flooded onto the field and I was engulfed in a hug that almost crushed me. I looked to see Annabeth and Tyson smiling. Then I passed out.

_3__rd__ person POV_

Apollo quickly healed the three demigods. As they woke up they were pulled to their feet. Jason though very tired and shook Percy's hand. He noticed that Percy's shirt was ripped and asked him, "How come you were able to repel my lance like that?"

The gods and the Roman demigods got quiet. They wanted to know the answer as well. "I swam in the river Styx last summer." Percy said shyly. He saw that everyone was staring at him in awe. Poseidon was the first to say something.

"Why would you need to do that son? It's extremely dangerous." Poseidon said. He didn't sound upset. Just worried.

"You will understand by the end of the book father," Percy said. Poseidon paled thinking of why his son would need to do that.

Zeus though spoke up. "Ok everyone. Let's celebrate a fine match by giving the demigods a fine dinner. Demeter, Hestia if you will please." Hestia and Demeter smiled and bowed. They clapped their hands and a dozen picnic tables appeared and on them every type of their favorite food appeared. They all dug in happily. As they finished they heard a voice say.

"Aren't you going to offer us some?" the voice said. _It can't be. It's not possible. _Percy thought. Nico gasped and whirled around. Standing there was six people. 4 of which should have been in Elysium.

"Who are you?" Athena asked. "Please introduce yourselves."

Two boys stepped forward. "Conner and Travis Stoll." Conner said.

"Sons of Hermes." Travis finished.

A big guy stepped forward. "Charles Beckendorf, Son of Hephaestus."

A beautiful girl stepped forward. "Selina Beauregard. Daughter of Aphrodite.

Another girl stepped forward. She wore a hunter's outfit. "Bianca Di Angelo, Daughter of Hades and Nico's sister." Nico looked about to pass out.

Lastly another boy stepped forward. He had blonde hair and blue eyes with a scar on his cheek. "Luke Castellan Son of Hermes." The demigods stared for a minute. Then they rushed forward and hugged the ones who died. Even Luke got a good reception.

_**Well guys I hope you enjoyed the fight and the surprise. I plan on making Luke repentant and forgiven by all of the demigods. Special thanks to those who have commented. Thank you to: mistle11411, birdy, coralie14, . .27, angellyx13, blitzing riptide, silent phantom gal, jason8926, blackjack1709, allen r, F.A.L.T.U., and daughter of wisdom and music. Thank you guys. I am at 65 reviews and still going good. I hope to post again tonight. Till then fjclay823 is signing out. Goodbye**_


	14. Another bites the dust

Nico was the first to react. "Bianca?" He said slowly like he couldn't comprehend that she was here. Bianca turned to him and smiled widely.

She hugged Nico hard and happily, "Yes Nico it's me. The Fates already told us everything going on. They felt it would be best for us to be here and offer our opinions on how to help the future." She said in a loud voice. A few feet away another conversation was happening.

"I am sorry I betrayed you guys. Especially you Percy. I treated you like trash and all you had wanted was to be the good guy. I especially need to apologize to my father." Luke said. He was surprised that Percy held his hand out. Luke shook it happily. He was shocked that Annabeth and Thalia both hugged him.

"Your past is the past. We are here to change the future for the better. Maybe we can help change your mind before helping Kronos." Percy said. He didn't hate Luke and he knew why Luke did what he did.

Annabeth smiled. She was happy Luke was back even if for a little while. She looked over to see the Stolls talking to their father and Selina and Beckendorf speaking to their parents. She smiled wider thinking that they could prevent their deaths.

Selina came over and hugged Clarisse and said, "Do me a favor. When we change the future make sure I don't spy on us." She looked sad and happy to see her best friend here. Clarisse hugged her tight before sayng.

"Steal my armor again and I will skewer you," Clarisse said with a smile. Selina smiled and agreed. Before anyone could go any further with their conversations, Zeus spoke up.

"Silence." He roared. "Good. Now that you can hear me better I have decided to read out here in the arena. Mostly so that if there are any fights then we won't have to clean the throne room up. Secondly it is a beautiful evening. Now lets keep reading. Hephaestus begin."

Hephaestus cleared his throat and started reading.

**It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me. **

"Found or stole Grover?" Conner asked.

"Dude, you know satyrs can't steal. They aren't good enough." Travis said. They didn't see Grover sneak up on them until he kicked them both in the rear ends.

**The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. **

"That is because gold is awesome." Apollo said. Artemis rolled her eyes and said nothing.

**Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. **

"Did anyone explain anything to him?" Athena asked. Everyone shook their heads and she sighed.

**He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. **

Luke grimaced. He saw a halfblood die because of it on the Princess Andromeda.

**Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, **

"Quite standard for any quest," Thalia said sarcastically. Annabeth blushed and glared at her.

**written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector. **

"No one explained the mist to you?" Poseidon said incredulously. Percy shook his head and Poseidon face palmed.

**Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. **

"I still think you should have packed some muffins," Demeter huffed. Hades groaned and wished the muffin thing would end.

"I am glad she isn't going on about cereal at least." Luke said. Hades glowered at him as Demeter became thoughtful and murmured about cereal being better than muffins.

"See what you started. Now I have to listen to that all the time," Hades moaned. Luke looked about to pass out but Hephaestus cut Hades off and kept reading.

**In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. **

"I have gotten better," Grover said indignant. He glared as Travis and Conner snickered.

**We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. **

"O joy I am mentioned again," Thalia said sarcastically. Luke smiled and was glad to be able to hang out with his old friend again.

**Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. **

"Must everything you describe relate to water?" Artemis said.

**According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. **

"Still creepy when you hear it that way," Conner said. Travis laughed and Hermes smiled at his sons. He knew the prank they were planning would be good. He just hoped Apollo would forgive him. He also knew that Artemis would help.

**"This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." **

**I heard footsteps behind us. **

**Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. **

**"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you." **

Luke grimaced. He hated giving those shoes to him.

**Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.**

Annabeth glared at anyone who started to speak effectively shutting them up.

**"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these." **

**He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal. **

"How would you know how sneakers are supposed to smell?" Hermes laughed.

Percy blushed and said, "I have been shoved into lockers before so I had some experience with smelly shoes."

Travis and Conner couldn't help but laugh. Percy growled. "You two are lucky Katie and Lou Ellen aren't here. Otherwise things would be a little easier for you two," He pulled riptide out and raised it above his head to strike. Conner and Travis paled and cowered. Percy started laughing his butt off and put riptide away. "You guys are too easy. I just played you good." Everyone laughed with him as the twins glared.

**Luke said, "Maia!" **

Hermes sighed and repeated the word to stop his own shoes from lifting him out of his chair. Apollo saw this and smiled. He would get revenge for the candy incident.

**White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. **

**"Awesome!" Grover said. **

"Not awesome," Grover grumbled. Luke looked at him apologetically.

**Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad. **

Luke looked down. He enjoyed his quest even though he was bitter.

**I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift... It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth. **

Everyone laughed as Percy glared.

**"Hey, man," I said. "Thanks." **

"He got a good gift, it is only right to say thanks," Hazel said. She didn't see Percy giving Luke a sour look.

**"Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?" **

"Well we did, no doubt about it," Percy said giving Poseidon a panic attack.

**We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. **

**After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating." **

"Good. Jealously is good for a love triangle." Aphrodite said. She ignored the looks from Percy and Annabeth.

**"Am not." **

"Was too," Luke said laughing. "It was so obvious that you two liked each other back then." Annabeth smacked Luke upside the head.

**"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" **

**"Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" **

"Cause you looooove him," Thalia laughed. Nico started laughing too but got slapped by Annabeth. Nico rubbed his chin as Hephaestus continued.

**She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys. **

"Nothing much bothers him does it," Rachel said earning a chuckle from Chiron.

**I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?" **

"I am glad you didn't," Luke said. "I am sorry Grover." Grover smiled and thanked him.

**He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you." **

**I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?" **

"Gee thanks so much Perce," Grover said. Percy smiled.

"Hey I didn't ask for that to happen, not my fault.," Percy said. Luke frowned. Hermes seeing this wondered why his son was so depressed about this chapter.

**His eyes lit up. "Me?" **

**Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch. **

First flying goat boy," Jason laughed. "That is priceless." Grover glared and grumbled about payback.

**"Maia!" he shouted. **

Hermes sighed and repeated the words again.

**He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos. **

"A goat boy with broncos shoes," Conner mused.

"I like it. It is catchy," Travis said. Annabeth groan internally and hoped that someone would control them.

**"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!" **

"You shouldn't be telling him that Chiron," Travis said. Grover eyed him warily and wondered what he was up to.

"Why is that Travis?" Chiron said entertaining the twins thoughts.

"He already knows he needs to practice his music. There isn't a reason to be torturing everyone around him." Conner said seriously. He yelped when Thalia shocked them.

**"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van. **

"Where do you get these weird thoughts from?" Athena said clearly amused as he blushed and fidgeted under her gaze.

**Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training." **

**"That's okay. I just wish-" **

**I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap. **

"I did son I just don't know why Chiron hadn't given it to you yet," Poseidon said.

"I am just about to my lord," Chiron apologized, "I just wanted to wait for the right moment."

Poseidon smiled and replied, "You mean you wanted to be dramatic." Chiron blushed cause it was true.

**"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this."**

**He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. **

"It is worth a lot more child," Chiron said.

**"Gee," I said. "Thanks." **

**"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one." **

"Sounds very apocalyptical to me Chiron," Thalia said making the old horse blush.

**I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ? **

"Yup it is," Nico said laughing.

**I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand. **

"A balanced weapon is a good weapon," Athena commented. Everyone groaned. They didn't want any philosophy and wisdom as they read.

**"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos." **

"Riptide," Artemis said angrily. Because of Zoe giving that sword to that man she lost her home and she would never forgive him.

**"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily. **

"How can you be surprised? I already told you that ancient Greek would be like a first language." Annabeth said.

"I was still getting used to everything." Percy said defensively.

**"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary**

"Thank you so much for that," Rachel muttered.

**, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case." **

**I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" **

**"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill.**

"Never mind. I take that back." Rachel grumbled as Chiron smiled apologetically.

**And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable." **

"O joy," Nico said grumpily. Bianca laughed and wrapped her arm around her brother's shoulder. Nico didn't mind. He was just worried he would lose her again when it was all over.

**"Good to know." **

The gods snickered at his sarcasm. Percy just glared till they stopped.

**"Now recap the pen." **

**I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school. **

"Use a string?" Selina said helpfully.

**"You can't," Chiron said. **

**"Can't what?" **

**"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it." **

"How did you know he was thinking that?" Conner asked.

"He read his mind moron," Thalia said sarcastically.

"I knew it," Conner said making Thalia want to strangle him.

**I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass. **

**"It may take a few moments," Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket." **

**Sure enough, the pen was there. **

"That is so awesome," Frank said. Everyone agreed as well.

**"Okay, that's extremely cool," I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?" **

**Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy." **

**"Mist?" **

**"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality." **

"Yes very remarkable indeed," Hermes said laughing. He controlled what the mortals thought and so had a huge control over the mist.

**I put Riptide back in my pocket. **

**For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead. **

"That does sound impossible when said that way." Bianca pointed out. Everyone nodded.

**"Chiron ..." I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?" **

**"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age." **

"That's right, Zeus rules," Thalia said earning a smug smile from the king of the gods.

"Great now he is going to have a bigger head." Hades groaned. Zeus glowered but Hades ignored it.

**"So what was it like ... before the gods?" **

**Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, **

Percy grimaced at the name which didn't go unnoticed by his father._ Did he have a dream about Kronos in the future? Or did he meet father? _Poseidon wondered. He was hoping for the latter.

**the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. **

"A bunch of crap," Luke snarled. Percy smiled a bit agreeing. _I will do whatever it takes to get a better future for me. I wonder if the gods will let me talk to my younger self? _Luke thought.

**But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan **

"Good Titan my butt," Thalia said with malice. She hated what he did to Percy by giving him Pandora's _pithos. _

**brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born." **

**"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" **

"Actually it could be very disastrous for the world," Athena pointed out. She was still trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

**Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. **

Zeus didn't see the frown on the faces of all the demigods. They figured it was best to have the gods read about the titans escaping.

**May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny." **

**"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is." **

**"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history." **

"How can he relax after that statement?" Sally said. Chiron just smiled but Travis answered.

"Chiron isn't one to comfort someone. He prefers to tell it like it is even if it gives us a heart attack." Chiron frowned at Travis already planning his punishment.

**"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed." **

"Sarcasm gets you nowhere," Hestia said.

"But it sure is funny though," Hermes said back to her causing a smile.

**When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur. **

"Yes very typical Percy," Thalia remarked. He just laughed with her.

**Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. **

**"So far so good," I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."**

"There he goes, jinxing everything," Nico pointed out. Percy rolled his eyes and hit him upside his head.

**She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain." **

**"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?" **

"You do seem to hate him for no reason. Is that your mothers rivalry messing with you?" Sally asked.

"Yes it is. At first I didn't know if being friends with him was wise cause of my mother but I realize that he was a great guy and nothing like what mother said about his father," Annabeth replied. Sally smiled and nodded in agreement.

**"I don't hate you." **

**"Could've fooled me." **

**She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." **

**"Why?" **

"I did many things to upset her a long time ago. She never listened to my apologies and hated me since." Poseidon said sadly.

"I should have listened but I was too upset and stubborn to listen. I forgive you and I am sorry too," Athena said shocking everyone. Poseidon smiled and hugged her happily.

**She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her." **

Poseidon grimaced and apologized again.

**"They must really like olives." **

After a few rounds of laughter everyone calmed down to listen.

**"Oh, forget it." **

**"Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand." **

**"I said, forget it!" **

**In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me. **

"Wow he saw it long before you even knew," Thalia said pointedly making Percy and Annabeth blush.

**Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. **

**Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? **

**I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice. **

"We did, we just thought it was better to not say anything," Grover said.

"Thanks for that goat boy. I appreciate it," Percy said honestly.

**Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot. **

**I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her. **

Teeth were grinding all around the circle.

**Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?" **

**I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?" **

"No you dolt, just your emotions." Dionysus said. He didn't see the water coming till it was too late.

**"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?" **

**I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me.**

"That was about it on that part," Grover said.

**"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week." **

"Disgusting," Artemis said wrinkling her nose."

**"Thanks," I said. "Where's the nearest shower?" **

"It really took 2 months to get rid of that smell." Grover said. Percy grumbled about great friends.

**"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better." **

Sally blushed at the compliment, "He his right you know. You are a remarkable mother." Hera said happily. It made Sally blush more.

"Thank you Lady Hera." Sally said. Hera smiled and said.

"No thank you. I thought all good self sacrificing mothers had died out."

**It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone. **

**I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Annabeth were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest. **

"We knew. We just decided to let you figure out your feelings yourself." Annabeth said kissing him gently.

**The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done. **

"I doubt that is anything near the truth. I do believe I claimed you cause I wanted you to know who you were," Poseidon said.

**All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back. **

"I just don't know why I took your mother without reason," Hades said shaking his head.

**You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end. **

**Shut up, I told it.**

"First sign of madness is talking to yourself and getting a reply," Frank said laughing.

**The rain kept coming down. **

**We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself. **

"Ego alert," Travis said laughing.

"I want to see you play hacky sack Travis," Conner said. He loved to play that game.

**The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all. **

"Note to self: Don't let Grover play volleyball with Apollo cabin," Will said jokingly. Grover glared at him making Will apologize quickly.

**Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. **

As was everyone else.

**Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas. **

"Actually you would have known if he smelled enchiladas," Conner started. Travis finished.

"He would have barreled through the bus if it was in his way," Thalia and Bianca happily slapped the twins.

**"What is it?" I asked. **

**"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing." **

"Which means it is something," Thalia said.

**But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too. **

"Smart thing to do," Jason said.

**I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. **

**As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. "Percy." **

**An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. **

"You are seriously unlucky in the monster department," Hazel said. Percy just laughed and nodded.

**I scrunched down in my seat. **

**Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. **

**Triplet demon grandmothers. **

"You faced all three furies?" Everyone yelled incredulously. Percy just nodded and shrunk at everyone's screams.

**They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. **

**The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." **

"That's only if your lucky, which you obviously are not," Athena said.

**"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not." **

Athena and Annabeth smiled at each other. _Great minds think alike, _Percy and Poseidon thought at the same time.

**"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!" **

**"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows." **

**"They don't open," Grover moaned. **

**"A back exit?" she suggested. **

**There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. **

"That's ridiculous where is the emergency buttons and exits?" Hephaestus said aloud.

**"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said. "Will they?" **

"Yes they will unfortunately for you," Hades said smiling menacingly.

**"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist." **

Rachel cleared her throat, "Besides you Rachel. Your our second favorite mortal next to Sally," Annabeth said. Rachel shrugged knowing it was true.

**"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" **

**She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?" **

**We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. **

**Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room." **

"Creepy," Conner said.

**"So do I," said the second sister. **

"Creepier," Travis said.

**"So do I," said the third sister. **

"And creepiest," They both finished. Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed.

**They all started coming down the aisle. **

**"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." **

**"What?" **

**"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away." **

"He wont leave you like that," Sally said. She knew cause she was planning on raising her son that way.

**"But you guys-" **

**"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering." **

"That's a very slim chance but it might work," Athena strategize.

**"I can't just leave you." **

"You are very loyal. An idiot but very loyal," Bianca said.

"Thank you Bianca," Percy smiled.

**"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!" **

**My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it on. **

Aphrodite glared at Ares, stopping him from commenting.

**When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore. **

"Duh you're invisible, kelp head," Thalia said pointedly.

**I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past. **

**Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding. **

**Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going. **

**I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row. **

"They hurt my daughter and her friend and I will come after you," Athena warned Hades who gulped visibly.

**The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-I guess those couldn't get any uglier**

"I will be sure to tell them that Percy," Nico said laughing.

**- but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. **

**The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?" **

That caught Athena's eye and she began to speculate.

**The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. **

**"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" **

**The Furies raised their whips. **

**Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. **

"What exactly will tin cans do to a fury?" Reyna asked. Octavian just muttered about weak fauns which earned him a glare from Dionysus and Grover.

**What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year. **

A golden trophy appeared in Percy's lap and read Poster child of the year for ADHD. Percy looked at Hermes and laughed.

**The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. **

**Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows. **

"Actually that was my head," Grover glared at Percy who just shrugged.

**"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!" **

**We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us. We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins. **

Apollo was cracking up. "I love this kids mind." He said between laughs.

**Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. **

**Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake. **

"Your ideas are far from great son," Poseidon said. He was worried sick about his son and friends.

**The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.**

"Did you trip anyone?" Hermes asked hopefully. He sighed when he found out the truth.

**The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. **

"You are very scary faun, I am shaking," Octavian mocked. Percy was about to snap at him but Grover did something unexpected.

He held his hand out and said to Octavian, "I forgive Octavian," Octavian and everyone looked at Grover like he was nuts. After he shook Octavian's hand he continued. "I forgive you for being a pathetic wannabe powerful person. I am sorry that you don't have any real powers and rely on bribery blackmail and threats to get anywhere in your camp. I am sorry Octavian that you couldn't win a sword fight with a regular tree. I am sorry to see your black eye as well."

"I don't have a-" Was all Octavian said before Grover punched him hard in the eye. By the time Grover sat down you could see the bruise and everyone laughed at Octavian. What was next? Insulting Artemis?

**I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap. "Hey!" **

"There he goes being brave again." Annabeth said smiling.

**The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. **

**Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards. **

"Nice comparision," Nico noted.

**"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die." **

"How did he offend the gods?" Sally asked. Everyone shrugged cause they had no clue what he did.

**"I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her. **

**She growled. **

**Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. **

"Use him as a distraction and attack from behind. A good plan," Athena remarked. Sally just paled at the thought.

**I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. **

**The Furies hesitated. **

"Like any sane monster," Nico said.

**Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again. **

**"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment." **

**"Nice try," I told her. **

**"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. **

"Like that would help," Thalia snorted.

**Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me. **

**My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust.**

Jason and Reyna nodded in respect and approval.

**Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.**

**"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" **

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Hades smirked. He got hit by a blast of water and grumbled.

**The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata. **

"You defeated all three?" Hades said shocked. Percy nodded and smiled. "They will be waiting for you now you know that." Hades continued.

**Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down. **

**"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!" **

"Like Hades they will," Nico muttered.

**"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled. **

The Romans all laughed and left the Greeks confused.

**I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!"**

Now everyone laughed.

**Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck. **

**"Get out!" Annabeth yelled at me. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement. **

**We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword. **

"Great, the beginning of a fun time," Rachel said sarcastically.

**"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-" **

**BOOOOOM! **

"ZEUS," Poseidon yelled outraged. "Why do you have to kill them when they are trying to retrieve your bolt?"

"I don't know brother. I haven't done any of this yet," Zeus reasoned. Poseidon glared and sat down knowing he was right.

**The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover.**

**Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead. **

**"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" **

"How did you know? Bianca asked.

"I have heard that wail before." Annabeth responded. Thalia grimaced remembering the fight.

**We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead. **

"That's the chapter. Who reads next?" Hephaestus asked. Hera reached for the book and said she would. She was about to continue when a small white light lit the room. The light dissipated and what was left was a small letter. It floated to Percy' lap.

"What does it say child?" Zeus asked. Percy looked at the letter and handed it to his mom.

"It is in English so I figured my mom could read it better." Percy explained.

"Umm it says;

_Dear gods, demigods and mortals alike,_

_As the fifth book ends we will be preparing for the next great prophecy. A few demigods will come and go to keep up with future events that are to take place after what happens in the 5__th__ book. I know it will be confusing but bear with us. We are following our current future events until a new future can be written. You will read about the future of the seven demigods heroes of Olympus later. Until then enjoy the books. Also to Jason and Percy. Forgive us for the future. It is Hera's plan and if she wants to indulge it to all of you she may do so. Also two more demigods will join you soon. As well as an older version of Percy at the age of 8 years. We will let young Sally go home soon with her son. They will have no idea who they are and we ask that you explain everything and claim them immediately. Thank you and good night to all._

_The Fates._

"Umm that sounds good?" Thalia said slowly.

Percy looked at Jason and wondered what the Fates meant by that. They all looked at Hera for an explanation. Hera sighed. This isn't the way it was meant to happen. But she might as well tell them.

"Ok I will tell you my future plan to save Olympians from the second biggest threat." Hera began…

_**Ok guys I am terribly sorry for the late update. I have been very busy the last 3 days but I guarantee another chapter or two to make up for it tomorrow. Now I am at 81 reviews. I am very excited and very happy. They have all been great and helpful. Special thanks to:**_

_**Brackenfern**_

_**Silent phantom gal**_

_**Lady- fortune**_

_**Allen r**_

_**Mysexypack101**_

_**Birdy**_

_**F.A.L.T.U.**_

_**Jason8926**_

_**Aesir21**_

_**Blizting riptide**_

_**Coastiewife465**_

_**Daughter of wisdom and music**_

_**Aquila **_

_**And eaglewings2peace.**_

_**You have all made this story keep going. I plan on doing both series and maybe writing my own alternate universe side stories to each book. I will think more on that though and concentrate on what I am doing now. I am bringing Piper and Leo next. Be prepared for Octavian to get in over his head soon as well. Thank you all again for your support and great night. Fjclay823 out!**_


	15. I send express mail

"Ok I will tell you my future plan to save Olympians from the second biggest threat." Hera began.

"What do you mean?" Zeus asked.

"I decided to prepare for the next threat. In order to stop it the Greek and Roman camps have to cooperate. I know that we agreed that they can't meet again because of their bloody history together," Hera said glaring pointedly at Octavian.

"What do you mean the next big threat? What is the threat?" Percy asked. He had a bad feeling about Hera's plan.

"The giants will attempt to rise again and destroy us at our roots. My plan is simple. Dangerous but simple. I needed the leaders from the Greek and Roman camps to switch sides. Perseus to the Romans and Jason to the Greeks. In order to be succesful I will have to wipe their memories and switch them at the same time. It is the only way." Hera continued.

"The giants? What is so bad about these giants?" Jason asked. Every demigod in the room was confused. Giants are hard to beat but a threat to Olympus? It didn't make any sense.

"These giants aren't like ordinary giants," Athena said. "They are children of Giea and Tartarus. They were born after the Titan war to overthrow us because Gaiea hated that we defeated Kronos and the other Titans. Each one is born to oppose an Olympian god or goddess. They can only be defeated byt the efforts of a demigod and god striking a killing blow together." By the time she was done most demigods were pale. The only two who weren't glared at Hera.

"How long have you been planning this Hera?" Poseidon asked. He didn't like having to deal with these Giants but hated that his son was nevr getting peace.

"Since the seven of the prophecy was born." Hera replied.

"At least tell us who the seven of the prophecy is supposed to be," Percy requested stiffly. He had a bad idea of where this was going.

"The seven are Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Hazel, and Frank. The other two I believe will arrive shortly. They are children of Aphrodite and Hephaestus."

"When were you going to start your plan?" Zeus asked. He didn't like the plan. He felt that it would fail but he would never ay it aloud in fear of his wife strangling him.

"Right after our current great prophecy," Hera replied. "Now can I continuie with the next chapter so that we can figure out this great prophecy?" No one said anything so she cleared her throat and began.

**In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, **

"Thanks you Percy," Apollo said.

**because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. **

"I guess that is true," Hermes said. He was worried about his son Luke. According to May he is going to have a bad future. _Please be okay son, _Hermes prayed to himself.

**For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day. **

"Guilty as charged," Ares said. He laughed and didn't see the glares he was getting from everyone.

**So there we were, Annabeth and Grover and I, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses. Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. **

"I love that look," Dionysus said contentedly. No one noticed the flask he had hidden in his toga.

**"Three Kindly Ones. All three at once." **

"What did you do to piss me off so badly?" Hades asked Percy. Percy shrugged and Hades knew he would have to wait to find out.

**I was pretty much in shock myself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. **

**But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get, the better." **

"Good. Keep them moving. it's the logical thing to do," Athena approved. Annabeth smiled widely.

**"All our money was back there," I reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything." **

"Pessimism won't help son," Poseidon said.

"That is just Percy. He can't help but be pessimistic," Nico told Poseidon.

**"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight-" **

"What were you expecting? He won't let anyone get hurt for him if he can help it," Thalia said

**"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" **

"He is right child. You should've been a little bit more grateful. Who knows how long you could have lasted against the furies," Hestia said. Annabeth blushed and nodded her head in shame.

**"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine." **

"Sliced up like luncheon meat. but fine," Travis said. One glare from Annabeth shut him up quick.

**"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine." **

Annabeth blushed as everyone laughed hard.

**"Shut up, goat boy," said Annabeth. **

"Again with the goat boy," Grover sighed. "Will it ever end?"

"Nope. Goat boy will stick around forever," Thalia said smiling at her friend. Grover grimaced.

**Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans ... a perfectly good bag of tin cans." **

"Yes Grover. The tin cans were too important. Forget the ambrosia, nectar, money, drachma's and clothes. Remember the tin cans more," Nico said sarcastically.

"Glad to see you agree with me Nico," Grover said.

**We sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry. **

"Interesting comparison," Apollo said.

**After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to me. "Look, I..." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave." **

"So she admits it," Aphrodite squealed. "It is so cute." Annabeth and Percy blushed.

**"We're a team, right?" **

"The best team of heroes I have ever seen," Chiron praised. Annabeth and Percy blushed again and everyone laughed at their embarassment.

**She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world." **

"You seem to have a strange way to view your friends," Poseidon said.

"It isn't that I just had a hard time accepting him as a friend considering the rivalry between my mom and you," Annabeth said. Percy kissed her and told her she was forgiven.

**The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. I couldn't see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blond hair. **

"You have a thing for blondes or something?" Conner asked. The look he got from Percy made him shut up quick.

**"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" I asked her. **

**"No ... only short field trips. My dad-" **

**"The history professor." **

**"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not." **

Athena looked sadly at her daughter. "You need to be more confident dear," she said. Annabeth nodded n agreement.

**If I didn't know better, I could've sworn I heard doubt in her voice. **

**"You're pretty good with that knife," I said. **

**"You think so?" **

**"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me."**

"I have to admit it is admirable," Hades said.

**I couldn't really see, but I thought she might've smiled.**

**"You know," she said, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus ..." **

**Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured. **

"Excuse me?" Athena said glaring.

**"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" **

Athena's glare turned on Grover who gulped.

**Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!" **

**He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff. **

**Instead of finding a path, I immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on my head. **

**Add to the list of superpowers I did not have: infrared vision. **

"Sorry son only in water does it work," Poseidon said. Percy smiled at his father happily.

**After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. This boy needed a double cheeseburger. **

"You and your stomach," Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Hey! It isn't totally my fault," Percy said defensively.

**We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell. **

**It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.**

**To me, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM. **

"What?" Apollo asked.

**"What the heck does that say?" I asked. **

**"I don't know," Annabeth said. **

**She loved reading so much, I'd forgotten she was dyslexic, too. **

**Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." **

"Oh. That makes more sense," Apollo said.

_They meet medusa? I wonder how they get out of this one. _Hades thought.

**Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken. **

**I crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers. **

"Men and their stomachs," Artemis said disdainfully. Thalia nodded in agreement.

**"Hey ..." Grover warned. **

**"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open." **

"Never go into a place that has lights on. You might get caught stealing," Hermes instructed.

**"Snack bar," I said wistfully. **

**"Snack bar," she agreed. **

"Ok I admit I am half to blame for this one," Annabeth admitted.

**"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird." **

"Listen to the saytr, he sees sense," Athena pleaded. She had a bad feeling about this monster.

**We ignored him. **

"No one listens to the goat," Grover mumbled.

"We are sooooo sorry o great goat boy," Percy said sarcastically. Everyone laughed but Grover who just glared.

**The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps. **

**"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" **

Athena's eyes widened in shock. She looked over to see that Poseidon made the same guess.

**We stopped at the warehouse door. **

**"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters." **

**"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?" **

**"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian." **

"Since when does tin cans count as vegetables?" Demeter asked Grover. He just blushed and shrugged.

**"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," I reminded him. **

**"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are ... looking at me." **

By now most of the gods were staring wide eye at Percy Annabeth and Grover. They had no idea how they could have survived.

**Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady. **

"Beautiful my foot you skank," Athena snarled.

"Someone is jealous," Aphrodite whispered to Hephaestus.

**Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" **

**"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.**

**"We're orphans," I said. **

"A good lie," Hermes said approving.

**"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!" **

**"We got separated from our caravan," I said. "Our circus caravan. **

"I stand corrected," Hermes said sadly. "I had such high hopes for you."

**The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" **

"Nice way to get to the point," Apollo laughed. It didn't last long as a miniature arrow planted in the ground at his feet. He looked up in time to see the other arrow before it landed in his knee cap. "OOOW. What did I do?" He said in pain. Everyone heard some giggling and turned to see baby Percy in the lap of Artemis with a miniature hunting bow.

"What?" Artemis asked at the strange looks. "I am teaching him early to help him with his archery." Everyone was dumbfounded and wondered how the hunters would take the news of Artemis teaching a boy archery.

**"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area." **

"A friendly old lady. What?" Jason said as he got strange looks from everyone.

**We thanked her and went inside. **

**Annabeth muttered to me, "Circus caravan?" **

"A good idea but a bad lie," Athena noted as Percy made a face at her.

**"Always have a strategy, right?" **

"Leave the plans to Annie would ya kelp head," Thalia groaned.

**"Your head is full of kelp." **

"Truer words have never been spoken," Thalia said high fiving Nico.

**The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking about food. **

"Typical," Artemis said as she was teaching Percy better aim.

**Go ahead, call me an idiot for walking into a strange lady's shop like that just because I was hungry, but I do impulsive stuff sometimes. Plus, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair-it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us. **

"It's a trap," Zeus said.

"No duh airhead," Hades countered earning a glare from the king of the gods.

**All I cared about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front. **

Poseidon seemed lost in thought and decided to get a nacho dispenser in his throne.

**"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said. **

**"Awesome," I said. **

**"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am." **

"If she hasn't asked for payment don't question it Grover," Hermes said exasperated. The sons of Hermes nodded agreeing.

**Before I could jab him in the ribs, Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans." **

**"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said. **

**Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must've been my imagination. **

**"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." **

"How did she know your name?" Nico asked warily.

**Only later did I wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though we had never introduced ourselves. **

**Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries. **

"Deliscious." Apollo said. Everyone ignored him.

**I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe.**

**Annabeth slurped her shake. **

**Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat. **

"I will never understand a satyrs appetite," Hera muttered. She didn't notice the steely looks she got from the demigods.

**"What's that hissing noise?" he asked. **

"Hissing noise?" Frank asked. No one said anything so as not to spoil anything.

**I listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head. **

**"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover." **

"Whoever she is she is a good liar," Hermes said

**"I take vitamins. For my ears." **

"Could be very true," Athena pointed out the logic in his reply.

**"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax." **

**Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face, but I was feeling satisfied after the burger, and a little sleepy, and I figured the least I could do was try to make small talk with our hostess. **

"At least he has manners," Hestia said eying Ares.

**"So, you sell gnomes," I said, trying to sound interested. **

**"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know." **

**"A lot of business on this road?" **

**"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get." **

"Cherishing a customer doesn't involve turning them to stone," Percy whispered furiously.

**My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified. **

**"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face." **

"Kind of hard to keep a smile when your being turned to stone," Annabeth muttered.

**"You make these statues yourself?" I asked. **

**"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. **

"Don't feel sorry for her son, she deserved it for slipping me that potion that Aphrodite gave her," Poseidon said.

"Wait what? She slipped you a seduction potion? How come you never told me?" Athena said shocked. She always thought he did that on purpose.

"You wouldn't listen to me. And after a century of trying to explain I gave up on telling you the truth." Poseidon replied. Athena felt guilty for hating him for that incident.

"I'm sorry. I let my pride get in the way of reason." Athena said remorsefully. Poseidon just waved it off.

"Water under the bridge. I don't dwell on the past mistakes anyone here made. I just try to do better in the future."

**Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?" **

"Good, she is beginning to figure it out." Thalia said.

**"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, **

Poseidon rolled his eyes but said nothing.

**you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. **

Athena started muttering curses and glared at the ground.

**She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price." **

"Deserved it," Annabeth growled.

**I wasn't sure what she meant, but I felt bad for her. My eyelids kept getting heavier, my full stomach making me sleepy. Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice? **

**"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking me to get my attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting." **

"That is a bad excuse to get out of a bad situation," Hermes pointed out. Annabeth blushed and scowled at the ground.

**She sounded tense. I wasn't sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything. **

"There was a chance she was just mortal and you could have blown your cover goat boy." Thalia said as grover glared at her.

**"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those." **

**She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly. **

**"We really should go." **

"Listen to her son," Poseidon said scared for his son.

**"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!" **

**I didn't want to leave. I felt full and content. Aunty Em was so nice. I wanted to stay with her a while. **

**"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?" **

"Not the weirdest thing a monster has asked of me," Percy said remembering Crusty.

**"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily. **

**"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children." **

"That just sounds wrong," Apollo said laughing. He sobered up quickly after Artemis slapped him.

**Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-" **

**"Sure we can," I said. I was irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who'd just fed us for free. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"**

Athena face palmed sure that Percy would get her daughter killed.

**"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm." **

**I could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues. **

**Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side." **

**"Not much light for a photo," I remarked. **

"Finally he starts to understand the danger," Nico said incredulously. Percy stuck his tongue out at him but ignored his statement.

**"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?" **

**"Where's your camera?" Grover asked. **

"Another good observation from the great goat boy," Conner said laughing. He stopped when he saw Travis wasn't laughing but staring behind him. He started to turn but it was too late. Grover grabbed Conner's underwear and gave him a massive wedgie. Once the laughter died down and Conner got his underpants fixed Hera continued.

**Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?" **

**Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand." **

Grover looked down remembering his uncle.

**"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear." **

**She still had no camera in her hands. **

**"Percy-" Annabeth said. **

**Some instinct warned me to listen to Annabeth, **

"That is a great instinct to have," Luke said. He wished he had listened to her.

**but I was fighting the sleepy feeling, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice. **

"He is in a trance," Frank said.

"Well duh Frank, we figured that a while back," Hazel laughed.

**"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..." **

**"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted. **

"Listen to her always," Sally said making Annabeth blush a deep scarlet red.

**"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?" **

**"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped. **

**"Look away from her!" **

"Finally some action," Ares said, him and Clarisse leaning forward in excitement.

**Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and me both off the bench. **

_Thank you, _Poseidon said in Annabeth's mind.

**I was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandaled feet. **

**I could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another. But I was too dazed to move. **

"Pathetic Greek," Octavian said under his breath. "Owww," He said when Reyna slapped him.

**Then I heard a strange, rasping sound above me. My eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails. **

**I almost looked higher, but somewhere off to my left Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!" **

"I am more than grateful that you keep my son safe. Whenever you wish you may come around anytime day and night," Sally said. Annabeth beamed at Sally a slight blush on her face.

**More rasping-the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from ... from about where Aunty Em's head would be. **

**"Run!" Grover bleated. I heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers. **

_I really need to change that word tonight to something else. _Hermes said sighing as he repeated the word to return himself to the ground.

**I couldn't move. I stared at Aunty Em's gnarled claws, and tried to fight the groggy trance the old woman had put me in. **

**"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," she told me soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up." **

"Please don't," Sally said worried.

**I fought the urge to obey. Instead I looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens- a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents. **

**Aunty Em. **

**Aunty "M." **

He finally figures it out," Thalia muttered. "Took you long enough."

**How could I have been so stupid? **

"It is easy, you were born that way, Greek," Octavian said.

"I would be careful Octavian, I still have Medusa's head as a spoil of war. It would be a shame if you _accidently _saw it's eyes." Percy said smirking as Octavian flinched.

**Think, I told myself. How did Medusa die in the myth? **

"My son killed her in her sleep," Zeus said proud.

"I now regret naming him after your son, he obviously isn't getting any good luck," Sally said sadly. Zeus and Hades both looked a bit sheepish.

**But I couldn't think. Something told me that in the myth Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by my namesake, Perseus. She wasn't anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open my face. **

"Better not if she knows what is good for her," Poseidon threatened.

**"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited me to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."**

"YOU DESERVED IT YOU WRETCH," Athena screeched. She was about to rant on Medusa but Hera kept reading cutting her off.

**"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!" **

**"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer." **

"She seems to have a soft spot for you young Perseus," Hestia teased lightly. Percy chuckled and Annabeth glared, suddenly jealous.

**"No," I muttered. I tried to make my legs move. **

**"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain." **

"Death or family? I choose my family any day." Percy said. All the women in the room smiled at his loyalty.

**"Percy!" Behind me, I heard a buzzing sound, like a two-hundred-pound hummingbird in a nosedive. Grover yelled, "Duck!" **

"Thanks for that flattering statement," Grover said sarcastically. Percy smiled and waved at Grover.

**I turned, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o'clock with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone. **

**"Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!" **

**That finally jolted me into action. Knowing Grover, I was sure he'd miss Medusa and nail me. I dove to one side. **

"You have sooo much faith in me Percy, thanks so much," Grover grumbled.

"Sorry g- man I don't mean to make you feel so bad," Percy apologized. Grover smiled and they fist bumped.

**Thwack! **

**At first I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage. **

**"You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!" **

"I doubt it," Thalia retorted.

**"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back. **

"Nice one satyr," Ares complimented. Grover nodded his head in acknowledgement.

**I scrambled away and hid in the statuary while Grover swooped down for another pass. **

**Ker-whack! **

**"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting. **

**Right next to me, Annabeth's voice said, "Percy!" **

**I jumped so high my feet nearly cleared a garden gnome. "Jeez! Don't do that!" **

"So many pranks I could do with that hat," Travis moaned.

"Care to loan it to us for one week?" Conner asked.

"Not happening," Annabeth said firmly. They looked down sadly and waved Hera on.

**Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible. 'You have to cut her head off." **

**"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here." **

"Not a very brave thing to say Greek," Octavian muttered to himself.

**"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but..." Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You-you've got a chance." **

**"What? I can't-" **

**"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" **

"Hook line and sinker. Good job Annabeth," Nico said laughing. The gods were confused.

"His fatal flaw is loyalty, he will do whatever needs to be done to protect the innocent," Annabeth explained. _A good flaw but very dangerous, _Athena thought.

**She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster. **

**Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of-" **

"Ummm, what? Speak English please," Ares complained. This fight was boring to him.

"She is speaking English," Athena said proudly.

**"Would you speak English?" **

"Great I think like a punk," Ares muttered.

**"I am!" She tossed me the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly." **

"Was that too hard to say," Luke asked jokingly.

"Yes it was," Annabeth said.

**"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere above us. "I think she's unconscious!" **

**"Roooaaarrr!" **

"Nope," The Stoll twins said together.

**"Maybe not," Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch. **

**"Hurry," Annabeth told me. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash." **

Grover started grumbling about great faith from friends.

**I took out my pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in my hand. I followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair. **

**I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I would only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, in the green tinted glass, I saw her. **

**Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!"**

"That hurt a lot," Grover complained.

**Medusa was about to lunge at him when I yelled, "Hey!" **

**I advanced on her, which wasn't easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she charged, I'd have a hard time defending myself. **

**But she let me approach-twenty feet, ten feet. **

**I could see the reflection of her face now. Surely it wasn't really that ugly. The green swirls of the gazing ball must be distorting it, making it look worse. **

"No she really was ugly," Poseidon confirmed.

**"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't." **

**I hesitated, fascinated by the face I saw reflected in the glass-the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making my arms go weak. **

"He must be feeling a small effect from her gaze through the glass," Athena cocluded.

**From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!" **

**Medusa cackled. "Too late." **

**She lunged at me with her talons. **

**I slashed up with my sword, heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern-the sound of a monster disintegrating. **

There were cheers from everyone in the room minus Octavian.

**Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces. **

**"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck." **

"A few good choice words," Demeter said.

**Annabeth came up next to me, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move."**

"Where was he going to go?" Conner asked. He shut quick from Annabeth's death glare.

**Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice. **

**"Are you okay?" she asked me, her voice trembling. **

"She had me freaked out," Annabeth defended herself against the strange looks she got from her friends.

**"Yeah," I decided, though I felt like throwing up my double cheeseburger. "Why didn't ... why didn't the head evaporate?" **

"Gotta love a spoil of war kid." Ares said.

**"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you." **

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover smiled at what it was used for.

**Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head. **

**"The Red Baron," I said. "Good job, man." **

"I admit he did pretty good," Dionysus said before taking a swig from his 32 ounce "_Diet Coke" _(Yeah right)

**He managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun." **

**He snatched his shoes out of the air. I recapped my sword. Together, the three of us stumbled back to the warehouse. **

**We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. We plopped it on the table where we'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak. **

**Finally I said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" **

"It is useless blaming people for things child," Hestia chided. Percy blushed and looked down.

**Annabeth flashed me an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him." **

Poseidon grimaced and grumbled about love potions.

**My face was burning. "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa." **

**Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of my voice, she said: "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'" **

"You bicker like a married couple," Thalia moaned.

**"Forget it," I said. "You're impossible." **

**"You're insufferable." **

**"You're-" **

**"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?" **

"Well if I know Percy it is something stupid and reckless," Nico said. Percy grimaced and was worried how the gods would handle the news.

**I stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS! **

**I was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp. At this rate, we'd never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice. **

"So much pessimism. You should be happy you survived," Artemis said.

**What had Medusa said? **

**Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. **

"Please don't listen to her, son, please," Poseidon begged.

**I got up. "I'll be back." **

**"Percy," Annabeth called after me. "What are you-" **

**I searched the back of the warehouse until I found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. **

"Hey it makes Persephone very happy," Hades explained to a very grumpy Demeter.

**According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket.**

"Smart move child," Athena approved

**In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. I rummaged around the rest of the office until I found the right-size box. **

"I hope you don't plan on doing anything stupid Percy," Sally said. She frowned when Percy grimaced.

**I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip: **

**The Gods **

Zeus's face went red.

**Mount Olympus **

It got redder.

**600th Floor, **

He turned purple.

**Empire State Building **

You could smell ozone in the air.

**New York, NY **

Poseidon shifted in front of his son to protect him.

**With best wishes, **

You could see steam coming out of his ears.

**PERCY JACKSON **

"YOU UNGRATEFUL INSOLENT CHILD. I SHOULD BLAST YOU WERE YOU STAND RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" Zeus thundered. Lightning flashed around him and storm clouds rolled in.

"Umm I'm sorry?" Percy said in a small voice.

"SORRY WONT CUT JACKSON. YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT." Zeus fumed.

"He will not Zeus. Sit down. The Fates warned us not to harm anyone. I know you are upset but remember that you are trying to kill him and he is scared and shaken up. He wants to impress his father and he does not mean it in a bad way." Hestia fought against Zeus's wrath. Zeus looked at Hestia and sighed. He knew Hestia was right. He was just angry and confused. Zeus sat down.

Zeus spoke up a little calmer and said, "Fine the boy shall live and be unharmed." He said the last part grumpily. Hera took that as a cue to read some more.

**"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent." **

**I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop! **

**"I am impertinent," I said. **

"At least he admits it," Conner said weakly. He was trying to lighten the mood to no avail.

**I looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize. **

**She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that I had a major talent for ticking off the gods. **

**"Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan." **

"That's the end of the chapter. Who reads next?" Hera said.

Demeter spoke up. "I will sister," She took the book and turned the page. "We get advice from a poodle." Aphrodite's face lit up brightly. She loved poodles.

Just as Demeter was about to begin there was a flash of light and Sally and baby Percy were gone. Another flash and standing there was…

_**Ok guys I am sorry for the late update. My computer crashed and it took a week to fix. I am sorry and I plan to get more chapters up the next two days. Forgive me for the evil computer. Special thanks go to:**_

_**Paradiseisland101**_

_**Birdy**_

_**Aesir21**_

_**Jason8926**_

_**TheStarryZightxz**_

_**Allenr**_

_**Lollipop9066**_

_**brackenfern**_

_**General E**_

_**Blitzing riptide**_

_**Kitsune95**_

_**F.A.L.T.U.**_

_**And**_

_**Lieutenant Sarcasm. You Have all been great to me as I wrote this story. I thank you all for the advice and compliments and even the critsism. I know I am not the best writer out there but I appreciate all those who read and review on my story. As the chapters progress I get a bit better at getting the characters right. Again thank you all so much and look for those chapters this weekend. Fjclay823 signing out.**_


	16. I don't think i like Poodles

Standing there was a kid of about 12 years old. He looked very familiar with his windswept raven black hair and sea green eyes. Next to the new kid stood Katie Gardner and 2 other kids. One was fairly short and Latino. He had mischievous eyes and pointy ears. He looked like a elf. The other was a girl with kaleidoscopic eyes and choppy brown hair. She was wearing a snowboarding jacket. They both looked about 16.

"Where am I? Who are you people?" Young Percy asked a little frantic. The other two unknown people nodded their heads and looked around warily as if they were confirming they had been kidnapped.

"Percy? Annabeth? What's going on? Are we on Olympus?" Katie asked eyeing the Gods. She quickly bowed to Zeus and her mother Demeter.

"What is going on? How did I get here?" PJ asked. Percy and Annabeth sighed and looked at Chiron. Chiron nodded and approached the children slowly. They stood there watching with their mouths agape like fish.

"Well children what do you know of the Greek and Roman gods?" Chiron asked. The two unknown kids shrugged and stared some more. PJ's eyes widened in recognition.

"Mr. Brunner? W-w-why do you h-h-h-have a-a-a-a…?" PJ started. Chiron sighed loudly. He didn't want to go through this again. Especially with Percy.

"Why do I have a horses ass?" Chiron finished for him. PJ just nodded slowly. For the next hour Chiron told the three about the gods. The books. Who they were. Everything. By the end they were believers. They revealed their names. Piper and Leo.

"Can you do anything special?" Chiron asked.

"I seem to have a knack for getting things by asking for them." Piper answered. Aphrodite squealed and snapped her fingers. A dove symbol appeared holographically above Pipers head.

"All hail Piper Mclean, Daughter of the love goddess Aphrodite." The demigods knelt as Piper blushed. Leo looked uncomfortable but spoke up. Of course he said the one thing Chiron hated to hear.

"I can do something too Mr. Pony- horse man." Leo said. He apologized quickly seeing Chiron's steely gaze bore into him.

"What is it you can do child," Chiron said grumpily. Leo's uncomfortable look became a scared one but he sucked it up and lit his whole body on fire. Everyone jumped back in shock. A glowing Hammer appeared over his head and Chiron spoke up.

"Hail Leo Valdez son of Hepheastus the lord of the forges and blacksmiths." Chiron said. Everyone knelt and got back up again. "Child you can put the flames out now child." Chiron said.

"I-I cant. I don't know how." Leo said scared.

"I got it Chiron," Percy said as he lifted his hand and doused Leo in ice cold seawater. Leo spit seaweed out of his mouth.

"Umm thanks. Who are you?" Leo asked.

Percy smiled knowing he was about to shock PJ big time. "My name is Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon." Percy said watching PJ's face.

PJ looked confused. "You have the same name I do," He stated.

"No I don't Percy," Percy said. PJ just got more confused. "I am you. These books we are reading is about your future. Our father is Poseidon." Percy said.

PJ whirled towards his father and hugged him hard before he punched him in the stomach. Poseidon wasn't angry. He knew his son wasn't happy that he was not around at all. "Son I am sorry. I know I haven't been around at all and helped you. Please believe me I had no choice in the matter. It is forbidden for gods to interfere in the lives of their children." Poseidon pleaded. PJ sighed and nodded. He would give his father a chance before he passed judgement. Seeing everyone had gotten settled Demeter began to read.

**We were pretty miserable that night. **

"Of course, it wouldn't be a quest if you were comfortable.," Nico muttered sarcastically.

**We camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers. **

Everyone heard Grover and Artemis grinding their teeth. _Filthy mortals should have respect for nature, _Artemis thought.

**We'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but we didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. We didn't want to attract anything else. **

"I would hope not," Beckendorf said. Selina was comfortable in his lap.

**We decided to sleep in shifts. I volunteered to take first watch. **

**Annabeth curled up on the blankets and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground. **

"I don't snore," Annabeth huffed indignantly.

"Yes you do," Conner said.

"How would you know?" Annabeth asked suspiciously.

"Lucky guess," Conner said quickly. Annabeth let it go but would be searching her cabin for hidden cameras when they got back.

**Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky. **

**"Go ahead and sleep," I told him. "I'll wake you if there's trouble." **

**He nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, Percy." **

"A bit random," Travis said laughing. Katie hit him upside the head and said.

"Shut up moron," Katie grumbled. She was still made that he and Conner cut the grass on her cabins roof.

**"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?" **

**"No. This makes me sad." He pointed at all the garbage on the ground. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr." **

**"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist." **

"Only an uncaring mortal wouldn't be," Artemis muttered.

**He glared at me. "Only a human wouldn't be. Your species is clogging up the world so fast ... ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At the rate things are going, I'll never find Pan." **

"What was that about us humans goat boy?" Thalia asked sweetly which scared everyone worse than her yelling.

"Nothing," Grover squeaked. Thalia smiled.

"That's what I thought," Thalia said.

**"Pam? Like the cooking spray?" **

"Only Percy would mistake my son with cooking spray," Hermes moaned. Percy blushed and apologized quickly.

**"Pan!" he cried indignantly. "P-A-N. The great god Pan! What do you think I want a searcher's license for?" **

**A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might've once been in these woods. Suddenly I was nostalgic for something I'd never known. **

**"Tell me about the search," I said. **

**Grover looked at me cautiously, as if he were afraid I was just making fun. **

"You should have known Percy enough by then that he wouldn't make fun of his friends dreams," Annabeth chided Grover. Grover looked apologetic but Percy waved his hand waving it off.

**"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told me. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep." **

**"And you want to be a searcher." **

**"It's my life's dream," he said. "My father was a searcher. And my Uncle Ferdinand ... the statue you saw back there-" **

Everyone gave a moment of silence for Uncle Ferdinand.

**"Oh, right, sorry." **

**Grover shook his head. "Uncle Ferdinand knew the risks. So did my dad. But I'll succeed. I'll be the first searcher to return alive."**

"Way to make Percy worry about his best friend Grover," Bianca laughed.

**"Hang on-the first?" **

**Grover took his reed pipes out of his pocket. "No searcher has ever come back. Once they set out, they disappear. They're never seen alive again." **

**"Not once in two thousand years?" **

**"No." **

**"And your dad? You have no idea what happened to him?" **

**"None." **

**"But you still want to go," I said, amazed. "I mean, you really think you'll be the one to find Pan?" **

"It isn't that I had didn't have faith in you I was scared to lose my friend." Percy said. Everyone smiled at his loyalty except PJ who was staring at Grover's hooves.

**"I have to believe that, Percy. Every searcher does. It's the only thing that keeps us from despair when we look at what humans have done to the world. I have to believe Pan can still be awakened." **

**I stared at the orange haze of the sky and tried to understand how Grover could pursue a dream that seemed so hopeless. Then again, was I any better? **

**"How are we going to get into the Underworld?" I asked him. "I mean, what chance do we have against a god?" **

"Not much chance against me," Hades said smirking. His smiled faded as he saw his kids glare at him.

**"I don't know," he admitted. "But back at Medusa's, when you were searching her office? Annabeth was telling me-" **

**"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out." **

Athena glared at him hard. "What? I wasn't a close friend at the time and I was still made about the capture the flag fiasco," Percy defended himself.

**"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a tough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me..." His voice faltered. **

Annabeth, Thalia and Luke glared at Grover making him shift his hooves.

**"What do you mean?" I asked. "Forgave you for what?" **

**Suddenly, Grover seemed very interested in playing notes on his pipes. **

"Poor poor Percy. That must have been torture hearing that," Travis said. Katie slapped him again.

**"Wait a minute," I said. "Your first keeper job was five years ago. Annabeth has been at camp five years. She wasn't ... I mean, your first assignment that went wrong-" **

Athena was suddenly worried about Annabeth. _Was she Grover's first assignment. _Athena thought.

**"I can't talk about it," Grover said, and his quivering lower lip suggested he'd start crying if I pressed him. "But as I was saying, back at Medusa's, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't what it seems." **

Athena knew then that Annabeth and Grover figured out that the furies were looking for something.

**"Well, duh. I'm getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took." **

**"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fur-The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy ... why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been." **

"How would you know satyr?" Hades asked.

"I met them before I met Percy," Grover replied. He made it clear he wouldn't say anything else.

**"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." **

**Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'" **

**"Asking about me," I said. **

**"Maybe ... but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said 'Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object." **

Hades was deep in thought. He had no desire for Zeus's bolt. The only item he had the meant anything to him was his helm. He decided to wait for a while and see what happens.

**"That doesn't make sense." **

**"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt..." **

**He looked at me like he was hoping for answers, but I didn't have any. **

**I thought about what Medusa had said: I was being used by the gods. What lay ahead of me was worse than petrification. "I haven't been straight with you," 1 told Grover. "I don't care about the master bolt. I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother." **

Hera smiled at his love for his mother. _They might not have much but they have each other and that makes their family perfect, _Hera thought adoringly.

**Grover blew a soft note on his pipes. "I know that, Percy. But are you sure that's the only reason?" **

**"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him." **

**Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done." **

Poseidon looked hopefully at Percy who nodded his head to confirm Grover's guess. Poseidon smiled happy.

**"Yeah? Well maybe satyr emotions work differently than human emotions. Because you're wrong. I don't care what he thinks." **

**Grover pulled his feet up onto the branch. "Okay, Percy. Whatever." **

**"Besides, I haven't done anything worth bragging about. We barely got out of New York and we're stuck here with no money and no way west." **

"You have defeated all three furies, the minotaur with no weapon, and killed medusa and you think you have no reason to brag?" Jason said incredulously.

"Percy won't admit his accomplishments. He doesn't seek glory or fame. Just to protect his friends and family," Annabeth said with adoration thick in her voice. Percy blushed at the compliment.

**Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about that problem. "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep." **

**I wanted to protest, but he started to play Mozart, soft and sweet, and I turned away, my eyes stinging. After a few bars of Piano Concerto no. 12, I was asleep. **

"No surprise. Grover's music can put anything to sleep," Conner said before the lightning bolt struck him.

**In my dreams, **

Everyone groaned.

**I stood in a dark cavern before a gaping pit. Gray mist creatures churned all around me, whispering rags of smoke that I somehow knew were the spirits of the dead.**

"Tartarus," Hades said. Everyone looked scared.

**They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm. **

"No son don't," Poseidon whispered mortified.

**Looking down made me dizzy. **

"It can do that," Luke muttered to himself.

**The pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, I knew it must be bottomless. Yet I had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil. **

All the gods looked uneasy at each other.

**The little hero, an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do. **

**The voice felt ancient-cold and heavy. It wrapped around me like sheets of lead. **

**They have misled you, boy, it said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want. **

"He doesn't have anything to trade," Piper said confused. "Right?" Everyone looked grim at this discovery.

**A shimmering image hovered over the void: my mother, frozen at the moment she'd dissolved in a shower of gold. Her face was distorted with pain, as if the Minotaur were still squeezing her neck. Her eyes looked directly at me, pleading: Go!**

Most of the gods were praying that it was Hades after all, even Hades himself.

**I tried to cry out, but my voice wouldn't work. **

**Cold laughter echoed from the chasm. **

**An invisible force pulled me forward. It would drag me into the pit unless I stood firm. **

**Help me rise, boy. The voice became hungrier. Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods! **

Athena's mind was working overtime. She had a terrible feeling it was Kronos and by the look on the faces of the demigods especially her daughter her fears were confirmed.

**The spirits of the dead whispered around me, No! Wake! **

Poseidon was chanting the same thing.

**The image of my mother began to fade. The thing in the pit tightened its unseen grip around me. **

**I realized it wasn't interested in pulling me in. It was using me to pull itself out. **

Zeus started looking scared now.

**Good, it murmured. Good. **

**Wake! the dead whispered. Wake! **

**Someone was shaking me. **

**My eyes opened, and it was daylight. **

Everyone sighed in relief. It was over.

**"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives." **

"No kidding. Its easier to wake the dead instead of him," Nico muttered.

**I was trembling from the dream. I could still feel the grip of the chasm monster around my chest. "How long was I asleep?" **

**"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth tossed me a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend." **

"The poodle?" Leo asked. At the looks he got he sighed. "The poodle," he stated.

**My eyes had trouble focusing. **

**Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal. **

"I don't think he would like that description at all."

**No. It wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle. **

**The poodle yapped at me suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not." **

**I blinked. "Are you ... talking to that thing?"**

"It isn't a thing, it is an adorable puppy," Aphrodite said dreamily.

**The poodle growled. **

**"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him." **

"Be nice to a dog that just growled at him?" Frank said. Grover just shrugged at him.

**"You can talk to animals?" **

**Grover ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy." **

"No wonder you got so frustrated at times. You would ask questions and no one would give you a straight answer if they answered at all," Will said.

**I stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack up at this practical joke they were playing on me, but she looked deadly serious. **

**"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," I said. "Forget it." **

**"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle." **

**The poodle growled. **

**I said hello to the poodle. **

"Of course, Annie told him to," Luke teased. Percy's glare shut him up quick.

**Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, **

"I don't blame him with that name." Apollo said.

**but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover. **

**"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" I asked. **

**"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh." **

"You expect me to know that?" PJ asked incredulously. Grover blushed at the statement.

**"Of course," I said. "Silly me." **

Everyone got a good laugh from that.

**"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple." **

"Simple yes but a lot could go wrong with simple plans," Athena said wisely.

**I thought about my dream-the whispering voices of the dead, the thing in the chasm, and my mother's face, shimmering as it dissolved into gold. All that might be waiting for me in the West. **

"Won't stop him from going though," Nico said matter- of- factly.

**"Not another bus," I said warily. **

**"No," Annabeth agreed. **

**She pointed downhill, toward train tracks I hadn't been able to see last night in the dark. **

**"There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon." **

"How would the dog know that?" Hermes said.

"Who knows," Demeter said. She tossed the book to Hermes and hit him in the head. "Chapter is over, you can read next," Demeter finished.

Hermes picked the book up grumbling about a prank on Demeter. "I plung to my death," Hermes said. Poseidon, Annabeth, and Grover paled. Annabeth and Grover didn't know what really happened at the Arch. Hermes cleared his throat and got ready to read.

_**Hey guys, here is my next chapter. A special thanks to:**_

_**ShotgunWilly: I am working on the proofreading**_

_**Aesir21: I plan on getting them together. I just don't know how to. Any tips?**_

_**Allen r: Thank you very much. I plan to get some more in there asap.**_

_**F.A.L.T.U.: you guessed right.**_

_**Lollipop9066: Thank you very much.**_

_**Geust: Thank you. I decided that Zeus needed to be a bit more grumpy so this helped a lot.**_

_**Lieutenant Sarcasm: One smiley right back at ya. **__**J**_

_**Mistle11411: No I am not trying to kill you. I just like to add suspense.**_

_**Kitsune95: Here is your next Chapter.**_

_**Birdy: Thank you. I hope to have two more tomorrow.**_

_**B Marie: Thank you. I am trying to update every day or two. Sometimes it can be challenging but I do my best.**_

_**Team Percabeth1: Thank you very much. I plan to do the whole PJO series and I am debating a different way to do the spin off series of HoO.**_

_**And a extremely special thanks to: Jason8926: CONGRATS! You are my 100**__**th**__** Reviewer. I thank you very much for that. **_

_**Until tomorrow, fjclay823 signing out.**_


	17. My high dive act

Hermes cleared his throat but as he got ready to start reading he saw Apollo handing out Graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars.

"What are you doing? Hermes asked.

"We are having smores while you read," Apollo replied innocently. He saw Chiron out of the corner of his eye taking more chocolate than every one else but not taking the other items. Hermes though looked upset.

"How come you didn't give me any?" He asked. Athena looked at him like he was crazy.

"I will not allow you to have any while holding the book," Athena replied. Hermes looked a bit downcast and didn't notice Apollo's smirk. _I knew Athena would say something like that and that is why I waited till now to hand them out. Consider it payback for the candy prank brother,_ Apollo thought laughing internally. Hermes sighed and began.

**We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. **

Katie and Demeter both smiled dreamily.

**We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax.**

"Good. Getting relaxed can be dangerous. I learned that the hard way against the Trojan sea monster," Jason said.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"I got swatted out of the air by the monsters tail," Jason said. "It felt like I got hit with a brick wall." Percy nodded his head in understanding.

**I felt that we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. **

"Knowing your bad luck it's probably true," Rachel said.

**I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers. The Trenton Register-News showed a photo taken by a tourist as I got off the Greyhound bus. I had a wild look in my eyes. My sword was a metallic blur in my hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick. **

"Who gets on a bus with only a lacrosse stick?" Ares said. "I would have taken more weapons," He finished making every roll their eyes except Clarisse who nodded in agreement.

**The picture's caption read: **

"O joy, more about Percy being a fugitive," Conner said excitedly. Percy rolled his eyes and smiled as the twins laughed.

**Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture. **

"What money does he have to give out?" Hera asked pissed off.

"Absolutely none once I am done with him," Hermes and Dionysus muttered. PJ smiled brightly to hear the gods were going to give that smelly jerk some problems. His smile faltered as he looked over and saw his older self making out with Annabeth. _Am I dating her in the future? She seems so bossy, how can I stand her lecturing me? _PJ thought.

**"Don't worry," Annabeth told me. "Mortal police could never find us." But she didn't sound so sure. **

Annabeth, gasping for air, said, "I wasn't sure. I was trying to convince you to stay calm."

Percy smiled kissing her again to thank her. Athena looked torn. She wanted to disapprove, but she didn't want her daughter mad at her. She sighed as she decided to let it go for now.

**The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because I had a really hard time sitting still) **

"I hate ADHD," Most of the demigods moaned.

**or looking out the windows. **

**Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines. **

"Ignorance in mortals is so reassuring," Apollo said smirking.

"You do know I am mortal right?" Rachel huffed. Apollo smiled apologetically.

**Another time, toward evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone. **

"You saw the Nemean lion a year and a half before we fought it?" Thalia asked. Percy nodded.

"When did you fight the Nemean Lion? Why didn't you tell me?" Annabeth demanded from Percy.

"It was when I was searching for you after we got Nico and Bianca," Percy whispered into Annabeth's ear. She paled slightly remembering the sky.

**Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats. My neck got stiff. I tried not to drool in my sleep, since Annabeth was sitting right next to me. **

"Trying to impress huh?" Aphrodite asked.

"Yup," Was all Percy said as they kissed again.

**Grover kept snoring and bleating and waking me up. Once, he shuffled around and his fake foot fell off. Annabeth and I had to stick it back on before any of the other passengers noticed. **

**"So," Annabeth asked me, once we'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"**

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

**"What do you mean?" **

"Weird," Reyna muttered.

**"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?" **

"Hades most likely, right?" Piper asked. From the silence around her she knew she wasn't going to get an answer.

**I was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time I'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered me so much I finally told her. **

"I am sure that is the only reason," Nico snickered. He shut up as Bianca hit him.

**Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs." **

"I do too laugh," Hades said grumpily.

"When souls are being tortured doesn't count brother," Zeus smirked. Hades glared and looked away.

**"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?" **

"He does have a point," Hazel said. "You, besides the fates are the only ones who can do that." Hades smiled proudly at his daughter.

**"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"**

"A very good question," Athena muttered.

**I shook my head, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover had told me, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something. **

**Where is it? Where? **

**Maybe Grover sensed my emotions. He snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned his head. **

"Yes cause you were in a very veggie mood," Bianca said.

**Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time-" **

"This time?" Athena squeaked.

"Nice to know peoples view of me," Hades grumbled.

**"This time?" I asked. "You mean you've run into them before?" **

**Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom." **

"You know damn well he will do anything to protect his mom," Thalia said.

**"What would you do if it was your dad?" **

"Wrong question to ask," Thalia muttered. Percy heard and grimaced at her.

**"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot." **

"What has Fredrick done that was so bad?" Athena asked sadly.

"It will explain in the book mom, I don't like talking about it," Annabeth said.

**"You're not serious?" **

**Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy," she said. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent." **

**"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital..." **

As Athena heard more and more her eyes widened with each sentence.

**"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist." **

"Annabeth. I am so sorry. If I had known that man would do that I would have taken you to Chiron instead.

**I stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. I wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how. **

"Have I mentioned I love your loyalty," Annabeth asked. Percy smiled.

"Yes you have, thank you," He replied as Annabeth kissed him. PJ made silent gagging motions as he watched them.

**"My mom married a really awful guy," I told her. "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking." **

_I hope that's true, _Athena prayed, however she didn't think it was true.

**Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It occurred to me that the ring must be her father's. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much. **

"I still love the man even if he had treated me poorly. I am glad I listened to you about forgiving him." Annabeth admitted.

"Happy to be of service madam," Percy said chuckling as she punched him but pulled herself closer into his body.

**"He doesn't care about me," she said. "His wife-my stepmom-treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened-you know, something with monsters-they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away." **

**"How old were you?" **

**"Same age as when I started camp. Seven." **

**"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself." **

"That's right. I made some great friends on the way," Annabeth said proudly. Thalia and Luke smiled happily in response.

**"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway." **

**I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories. So I listened to the sound of Grover snoring and gazed out the train windows as the dark fields of Ohio raced by. **

"Ohio is a beautiful state with lot's of wheat farms," Demeter mused. Hades turned to Hermes begging for him to keep reading.

**Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city. **

"Shopping?" Aphrodite looked up from her pedicure. "Who is shopping?"

"No one is Barbie keep painting your nails," Artemis said. Aphrodite shrugged and went back to her feet. Piper was incredulous. _Is this all my mom does?_

**"I want to do that," she sighed. **

**"What?" I asked. **

**"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?" **

"He cant fly on a plane. How can you expect him to see the Parthenon?" Jason asked.

"It is called a picture Sparky," Piper said. Jason blushed at the new nickname and looked down embarrassed. Thalia laughed enjoying her brothers discomfort.

**"Only in pictures." **

Jason blushed even deeper as Piper smirked at him. "It seems I am right." Aphrodite smiled at Piper and thought of ways to get them together.

**"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years." **

Those who knew about her redesigning Olympus smiled knowingly at her.

**I laughed. "You? An architect?" **

"Why is that funny?" Athena said menacingly.

"Hang on Athena don't kill him yet. It explains here." Hermes said quickly sparing Percy.

**I don't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day. **

"It isn't easy but I do it anyways cause I love it," Annabeth said admittedly as Athena smiled.

**Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention." **

"Sorry," Annabeth said quickly to Poseidon.

"It is ok I know it's true." Poseidon waved it away.

**I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below. **

**"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean." **

**"Can't we work together a little?" I pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?" **

"Well there was once," Athena said smiling about her invention.

**Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess ... the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete." **

**"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" **

"Cooperate? You two are the best in everything," Will said. The gods and demigods and Mortal all looked in awe at them.

**We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel. **

**"I suppose," she said at last. **

"And so begins the Golden duo," Thalia drawled. Percy soaked her good making her nostrils flare in anger. Hermes wanting to not deal with a fight kept reading.

**We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver. **

**Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food." **

"Get the food off your mind and maybe you would be searching for Pan sooner," Dionysus said. He looked up to see a Trident made of ice pointed at his throat.

"What was that?" Percy growled.

"Umm sorry," Dionysus gulped. Grover pulled Percy away from the wine dude and forced him to calm down and relax.

**"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing." **

**"Sightseeing?" **

"My bolt is missing and you are sightseeing?" Zeus grumped.

"For all I knew the world was ending. I was seeing at least one good piece of architecture before it happened," Annabeth said glaring down the king of the gods.

**"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?" **

"No choice," Grover mumbled.

"What was that Grover?" Annabeth asked innocently smiling at him.

"Nothing," Grover said quickly backing away from as she smiled wider.

**Grover and I exchanged looks. **

**I wanted to say no, but I figured that if Annabeth was going, we couldn't very well let her go alone. **

_Good. He might be a good friend to her after all, _Athena mused.

**Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters." **

"Is there even a chance of a snack bar without monster?" Thalia asked remembering the Hoover dam. Percy snickered.

**The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay. **

"Remind me to take you back there one day alone with no food," Annabeth said making Percy moan.

**I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. "You smell anything?" I murmured to Grover. **

"Staying alert. That is very good," Artemis said. Then she realized she complimented a boy. "Don't ever repeat that compliment to anyone," She glared at everyone daring them to say something.

**He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything." But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here. **

"I should have listened to that feeling," Percy muttered.

**"Guys," I said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?" **

"Why are you asking about our symbols of power?" Zeus asked.

"I was curious and a bit worried about being stalked." Percy replied simply.

**Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?" **

**"Well, Hade-" **

**Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"**

"Grover has a dirty mind." Conner said snickering till Katie smacked him.

**"Um, right," I said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?" **

"So does Percy." Travis said. He got punched by said angry demigod of the sea.

**"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting." **

**"He was there?" I asked. **

"The only time I am allowed," Hades grumbled.

**She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus-the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..." **

"They are," Hades smirked.

**"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?" **

"Glad to not be rational," The demigods all said.

**"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" I asked. **

"That's why I asked," Percy informed Zeus. Zeus nodded in understanding.

**Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks. **

**"We don't," Grover said. **

**"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said. "Got any blue jelly beans left?" **

**I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts. **

"You are claustrophobic?" Thalia asked. She was happy to have something on him.

"The sea hates to be constrained. What else can I say," Percy replied winking at his father.

**We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. **

No one understood Percy's glare at the mention of the dog.

**I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it.**

**We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it. **

**"No parents?" the fat lady asked us. **

"Gee what terrible lie will you say next?" Apollo said.

**She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp. **

"Don't ever tell her I said that," Percy glared at everyone.

**"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights." **

"FINALLY. A great lie is told." Hermes sighed dramatically.

**"Oh, the poor darlings." **

**The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.**

"Why does she sound familiar?" Zeus asked. He didn't see Percy's glare.

**I said, "Sonny. Is that his name?" **

**"No," the lady told me. **

**She smiled, as if that cleared everything up. **

**At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quick. **

Thalia shuddered at her fear of heights.

**Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for me the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. I steered Grover and Annabeth toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me. **

"I hope you stayed with him," Nico said. No one said anything and he groaned.

**The park ranger said, "Next car, sir." **

**"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you." **

**But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said, "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom." **

More people groaned.

**Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp. **

**Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua. **

"Monster?" Frank asked. Percy nodded.

**I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth. **

"Forked tongue?" Poseidon asked.

**Wait a minute. **

**Forked tongue? **

Everyone was too nervous to chuckle at them.

**Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at me. **

"Oh. I know who it is. I am sorry," Zeus said quickly.

**"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here." **

**"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!" **

"I wish kid. I wish," Percy said.

**His parents pulled him back. **

**The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips. **

**"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist." **

**Ice started forming in my stomach. "Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" **

**"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make." **

"YOU SENT HER AFTER MY SON? WHAT MADE YOU DO THAT?" Poseidon roared in anger.

Zeus gulped. "Brother please calm yourself. I wont do it again in the future I swear it on the Styx." Thunder boomed sealing the deal.

"Umm sent who?" Leo asked. No one answered.

**She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's. **

Thalia was in disbelief, "Dad! Why would you send her?" She asked incredulously.

"Sent who?" Leo asked again.

**The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. **

**The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster. **

**The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. **

The Romans looked at each other incredulously. _How can he beat this monster? _Hazel thought.

**The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA-RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS-IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS-EXT. 954. **

"We are so prank calling him brother," Travis said happily. Hermes smiled proudly.

**I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge. The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!" **

"Isn't that an anteater?" Piper asked.

"Don't let her hear that. She wont like that one bit," Percy warned her. Piper blushed and nodded. Jason felt a pang of jealousy but he didn't know why.

**I stared at her. All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?" **

Everyone laughed making her blush more.

**She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!" **

**The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I managed to leap aside and dodge the bite. **

Everyone was tense waiting to see if he survived.

**I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors. **

**I couldn't let them get hurt. I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible. **

"Of course it did seaweed brain," Annabeth said worriedly.

**Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me. **

**I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eyebrows. **

"Bet you wish u was there," Leo said.

"No not really," Percy said making Leo pout.

**Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges. **

**Great, I thought. We just blowtorched a national monument. **

"The first of many," Thalia smirked. Percy said nothing to argue but stuck his tongue out at her.

**Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck. **

Everyone held their breath in anticipation.

**That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf. **

Everyone gasped outloud and stared at Percy wondering how he survived.

**My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and my blade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River. **

"That is impossible. How can you still be alive? You have no weapon now for Jupiter's sake," Jason said loudly. He only knew him a little but he considered Percy a great friend.

**I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I could feel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying that Anaklusmos would always return to me, but there was no pen in my pocket. Maybe it had fallen too far away. Maybe it only returned when it was in pen form. I didn't know, and I wasn't going to live long enough to figure it out.**

Poseidon was pale and looked like he was having a stroke.

**I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. **

**The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?" **

Percy smiled when he heard Nico and Thalia both growl, "He is the most powerful hero ever. So shut up," They blinked and blushed at the same time.

**The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten. **

**I glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just ... die. I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. **

"That's what thinking will do to you seaweed brain, leave that to me," Annabeth said shakily. She was trying to relieve the tension and luckily it worked a little as everyone chuckled.

**My head felt dizzy. I had no sword. I was facing a massive, fire-breathing monster and its mother. And I was scared. **

"I would say you were insane if you were scared," Frank said. He looked around and frowned. _Where is Octavian._

**There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered. **

Poseidon perked up. _Jump son please,_ Poseidon prayed.

**If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone? **

"Only sometimes," Hestia said.

**"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline." **

"Is she crazy? He will die on impact," Athena said.

**Yeah, right, I thought. I'd read somewhere that jumping into water from a couple of stories up was like jumping onto solid asphalt. From here, I'd splatter on impact. **

_There is major hope for this one, _Athena thought.

**The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast. **

**"You have no faith," Echidna told me. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart." **

"Faithless?" Zeus growled. "She will pay for that comment."

**She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save me, not even the gods. **

**I backed up and looked down at the water. I remembered the warm glow of my father's smile when I was a baby. He must have seen me. He must have visited me when I was in my cradle. **

Poseidon smiled. He did visit him while he slept.

**I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head the night of capture the flag, when Poseidon had claimed me as his son. **

**But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi, dead center of the USA. There was no Sea God here. **

**"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face. **

**"Father, help me," I prayed. **

"I will son," Poseidon said protectively.

**I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.**

"That's it for this chapter," Hermes said throwing the book to Apollo. It hit him in the head as Hermes made himself a smore. He was about to eat it when Apollo snapped his fingers making it disappear along with all the other smores and ingredients. Hermes glared and started plotting his revenge as Apollo cleared his throat.

"A god buy's us cheeseburgers," Apollo said.

"What moron did that?" Ares asked. Percy smiled but didn't answer. Ares grumbled but said nothing.

_**Ok ladies and gents. My next chapter is up. I hope you enjoyed and I hope to post again soon. Special thanks go to:**_

_**Aesir21. Thank you**_

_**Supremebananamanger. Thank you for the review. Glad you like it.**_

_**Anime Princess. That will happen In due time. Be patient cause Percy will get them for that.**_

_**Birdy. Thank you**_

_**Allen r. I hope I got a bit more in there. Did you think it was enough?**_

_**Jason8926. Congrats again.**_

_**I- consume-books-like-treats. That was a really helpful review. I appreciate the insight. As for the whole Poseidon- Athena thing. I have something very different in mind. I hope you like it but it really wont come up till the Last Olympian is read. Thank you again.**_

_**F.A.L.T.U. Thank you and I plan on bringing her soon.**_

_**Julie. Here is my update. Enjoy. I am glad you love it. **_

_**Thank you everyone. I am gratefull you enjoy my version of this read along series of mine. Goodnight fjclay823 signing out.**_


	18. Chapter 18

"You're reading the wrong chapter moron," Hermes said smirking. He counted down slowly in his head, _3-2-1... Now!_

"Apollo, if you try to skip another chapter I will chain you up, gag you and throw you to Artemis's hunters as a target to practice with." Athena growled. "This is too important for you to mess up."

Apollo paled and shuddered remembering the last time Athena did that to him. It took forever to remove the arrows from his rear end. He could still feel the sting sometimes. He flipped the pages back and cleared his throat.

**I'd love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera. **

"I doubt Thanatos would appreciate you laughing at him Perce," Nico said.

Thalia just sighed and whacked him upside the head. Once Nico was done rubbing his head Apollo continued.

**The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh! **

Thalia shuddered and looked at Percy like he was crazy. All but the gods and Jason looked disturbed by that thought.

"You make it sound like being in the air is a bad thing," Jason said indignantly.

"For me the air is a dangerous place without my Pegasus Blackjack," Percy retorted.

"My storm spirit is a better mount that a Pegasus," Jason said.

"Pegasi are better,"

"Storm spirits"

"Pegasi"

"Storm spirits,"

"Pegasi"

WHACK! "Owww" Percy and Jason said in unison rubbing their heads.

"Now that you boys are done fighting we can continue the story," Annabeth and Reyna said.

**The river raced toward me at the speed of a truck. Wind ripped the breath from my lungs. Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of my vision. **

Everyone could hear Sally's breathing get faster and harder.

**And then: Flaaa-boooom! **

**A whiteout of bubbles. I sank through the murk, sure that I was about to end up embedded in a hundred feet of mud and lost forever. **

**But my impact with the water hadn't hurt. **

Sally let out a huge sigh but was still worried about the poison in her sons body.

**I was falling slowly now, bubbles trickling up through my fingers. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of my stepfather **

Cue wrinkling the noses in disgust.

**lurched away into the gloom. Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage-beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags-swirled up all around me.**

"That reminds me to start cleaning the rivers more," Poseidon said thoughtfully.

**At that point, I realized a few things: first, I had not been flattened into a pancake. I had not been barbecued. I couldn't even feel the Chimera poison boiling in my veins anymore. I was alive, which was good. **

"Alive is very good," Hazel said optimistically.

**Second realization: I wasn't wet. I mean, I could feel the coolness of the water. I could see where the fire on my clothes had been quenched. But when I touched my own shirt, it felt perfectly dry. **

"Must make it hard to take a bath," Hermes said absently.

**I looked at the garbage floating by and snatched an old cigarette lighter. **

**No way, I thought. **

"Way," Poseidon said smiling. Percy smiled back and they gave thumbs up.

**I flicked the lighter. It sparked. A tiny flame appeared, right there at the bottom of the Mississippi. **

"Bet I could light a fire under water." Leo said as his hair caught fire. Everyone looked at him shocked before Percy dowsed him with some pond water. The shock quickly turned to laughter when Leo spit out a drachma.

**I grabbed a soggy hamburger wrapper out of the current and immediately the paper turned dry. I lit it with no problem. As soon as I let it go, the flames sputtered out. The wrapper turned back **

**into a slimy rag. Weird. **

"Valid point," The Stolls said.

**But the strangest thought occurred to me only last: I was breathing. I was underwater, and I was breathing normally. **

Annabeth face palmed. "How can that be the last thing you notice? It's like if Zeus just noticed he is the King of the gods. It doesn't make sense."

"I can't help that some things come a little late to me," Percy said defensively. The Greek demigods sighed thinking about the relationship between the two.

**I stood up, thigh-deep in mud. My legs felt shaky. My hands trembled. I should've been dead. **

**The fact that I wasn't seemed like ... well, a miracle. I imagined a woman's voice, a voice that sounded a bit like my mother: Percy, what do you say? **

"It is polite to thank people when they save you." Sally said motherly. Her relief was tangible.

**"Um ... thanks." Underwater, I sounded like I did on recordings, like a much older kid. "Thank you ... Father." **

"Your welcome son," Poseidon grinned making the gods sigh exasperated.

"We will never finish this book like this. All the interuptions is wasting time." Artemis moaned.

"Speak for yourself Artemis. I'm just trying to sleep through all this." Came Dionysus' voice from underneath a wine magazine. He was promptly shocked awake. Zeus was trying not to laugh at his son's bewildered expression while Thalia was looking too innocent.

**No response. Just the dark drift of garbage downriver, the enormous catfish gliding by, the flash of sunset on the water's surface far above, turning everything the color of butterscotch. **

"Ahh, butterscotch," Frank said. He noticed the looks and replied defensively, "they remind me of my mom thank you very much." He didn't notice Nico's and the Stolls smirking behind them.

**Why had Poseidon saved me? The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I felt. So I'd gotten lucky a few times before. Against a thing like the Chimera, I had never stood a chance. Those poor people in the Arch were probably toast. I couldn't protect them. I was no hero. **

"You are a hero. Most probably the best yet." Annabeth whispered into Percy's ear. Percy responded with a kiss and a blush.

**Maybe I should just stay down here with the catfish, join the bottom feeders. **

"It IS where you belong," Ares said. It was too late for him to notice the shoe of Sally Jackson being thrown at him. Everyone laughed as it hit him in the nose causing a little Ichor to bleed out.

**Fump-fump-fump. A riverboat's paddlewheel churned above me, swirling the silt around. **

**There, not five feet in front of me, was my sword, its gleaming bronze hilt sticking up in the mud. **

**I heard that woman's voice again: Percy, take the sword. Your father believes in you. This time, I knew the voice wasn't in my head. I wasn't imagining it. Her words seemed to come from everywhere, rippling through the water like dolphin sonar. **

"A naiad?" Katie asked.

"No a Neried," Percy awnsered.

**"Where are you?" I called aloud. **

**Then, through the gloom, I saw her-a woman the color of the water, a ghost in the current, floating just above the sword. She had long billowing hair, and her eyes, barely visible, were green like mine. **

**A lump formed in my throat. I said, "Mom?" **

"Sorry son but I wish it was," Poseidon said sadly.

**No, child, only a messenger, though your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe. **

_What did she mean by that? Could it be that she was taken? _Athena mused silently. She looked around and noticed that no one noticed it like she did.

**Go to the beach in Santa Monica. **

**"What?"**

Go. To. The. Beach. In. Santa. Monica." Octavian said snidely. The look Percy gave him made him break out into a cold sweat.

**It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence. **

**"But ..." I was sure this woman was my mother, or a vision of her, anyway. **

**"Who-how did you-" **

**There was so much I wanted to ask, the words jammed up in my throat. **

**I cannot stay, brave one,**

A silent snort from Ares who feared the fact that Sally still had one more shoe. He didn't notice one coming from Aphrodite's direction.

**the woman said. She reached out, and I felt the current brush my face like a caress. You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, do not trust the gifts... **

That made Athena perk up. _Which gifts is she talking about?_

**Her voice faded. **

**"Gifts?" I asked. "What gifts? Wait!" **

"That is a good question. I wonder which gifts she means," Artemis mused. Everyone but Percy Annabeth and Grover shrugged their shoulders.

**She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone. Her image melted away. If it was my mother, I had lost her again. **

**I felt like drowning myself. The only problem: I was immune to drowning. **

**Your father believes in you, she had said. **

**She'd also called me brave ... unless she was talking to the catfish.**

Very well could have been, but to brave my domain boy you have to have bravery," Hades said cryptically. Nico sighed at his father for trying to seem dark and scary. In this light he just seemed funny looking, but no way in Tartarus was Nico going to say that out loud. He preffered not being a dandelion.

**I waded toward Riptide and grabbed it by the hilt. The Chimera might still be up there with its snaky, fat mother, waiting to finish me off. At the very least, the mortal police would be arriving, trying to figure out who had blown a hole in the Arch. If they found me, they'd have some questions. **

**I capped my sword, stuck the ballpoint pen in my pocket. "Thank you, Father," I said again to the dark water. **

**Then I kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface. **

**I came ashore next to a floating McDonald's. **

"That is something I haven't seen before," Apollo said.

"Open your eyes and you might be able to," Hermes said teasingly.

**A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve. **

**A little girl said, "Mama! That boy walked out of the river." **

'How can kids see so easily through the mist?" Zeus sighed. He hated having to approve mind wipes multiple times a day.

**"That's nice, dear," her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances. **

"Of course. The kid sees something and is immediately ignored by the adults. Mortals are weird." Hephaestus said as he tinkered with a miniature mechanical dragon. Leo's eyes never wavered from the metal beast.

**"But he's dry!" **

**"That's nice, dear." **

**A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch." **

**Survivors. I felt a surge of relief. Maybe the park ranger and that family made it out safely. I hoped Annabeth and Grover were okay. **

"we don't know why but most of the time monsters ignore mortals." Demeter said. Athena grumbled because it was a mystery to even her.

**I tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police line. **

"Never return to the scene of a crime, you will be caught eventually.

"**An adolescent boy," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities ..." **

"I am glad no one got hurt. It would be a shame for a mortal to get caught up in a gods and demigods affairs," Hestia said staring the three brothers down til they squirmed in their seats.

**I backed away, trying to keep my head down. I had to go a long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere. **

**I'd almost lost hope of ever finding Annabeth and Grover when a familiar voice bleated, "Perrr-cy!" **

**I turned and got tackled by Grover's bear hug-or goat hug. He said, "We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!" **

"Yes the hard way would be sooo disappointing," Dionysus grumbled. He too didn't see the shoe coming from Sally.

**Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see me. **

"Of course I was. You dying would be a bad thing," Annabeth said.

**"We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?" **

"What a wonderfull way to show concern," Conner said sarcastically. Travis ducked in time for Annabeth to throw a rock at Conner.

**"I sort of fell." **

"How do you sort of fall," Piper asked no one in particular.

**"Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?" **

**Behind us, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua-" **

"That will never sound normal to me," Frank said.

"Coming from a son of Mars, I find that hard to believe," Clarisse said under her breath.

**"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in." **

"Tells the truth, instantly crazy,: Travis said sadly.

**"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared." Then she saw me. "There he is! That's the boy!"**

**I turned quickly and pulled Annabeth and Grover after me. We disappeared into the crowd. **

**"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?" **

"Nope. The one in the purse," Hermes laughed.

**I told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, my high-dive act, and the underwater lady's message. **

**"Whoa," said Grover. "We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad." **

"Well you can but i would have to get even with you. Maybe seaweed in your bunk.?" Poseidon said aloud. Percy gulped hoping his dad wouldn't do that.

**Before Annabeth could respond, we passed another reporter doing a news break, and I almost froze in my tracks when he said, "Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson." **

"I love celebrities." Aphrodite cooed. Everyone just stared blankly at her as if she was insane.

**We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley. **

**"First things first," I told Grover. "We've got to get out of town!" **

**Somehow, we made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind us.**

"And that's a wrap on this chapter. Who's next?" Apollo said. Frank raised his hand.

"I'll read. This is getting interesting." He said as he took the book. "A god buys us Cheesburgers."

"Yup. Very interesting." Leo said smartly. Frank just glared at him and began to read.

_**Well guys. I am back. I decided to continue posting this story on this website till further notice. Thanks to all of ya'll who have been supportive and patient with me. Till Next time ya'll.**_

**Fjclay823 signing out. **


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